Neytiri's Woe
by Arclodke
Summary: What happens when the people of the Omaticaya do not accept Jake after the humans leave.


****Takes place after the movie, if you have not seen the movie, do not read, contains spoilers****

Neytiri's Woe

I-Reborn

Jake sat up, Neytiri clutching at his arm, her smiling face a beautiful depiction of the beauty of Pandora. The crowd of Na'vi before him was much smaller than the crowd that had tried to help Grace cross over from her human body to her Na'vi body.

The war with the Sky People had left this tribe a fragment of itself. Neytiri's father, Eytukan, had died at the fall of Hometree, but her mother lived. Mo'at stood over Jake and Neytiri, a sad smile on her face. She was happy for Jake and Neytiri, Jake could understand that, but the sorrow in her eyes had not left them since Eytukan had fallen. Her eyes had been tearstained then, but now, as they gathered beneath the sacred tree, Jake could see the true toll this war had taken upon the tribes spirit woman. Her shoulders slumped and her walk was weighted.

"Now, Jakesully, you are one of us," Mo'at touched his shoulder as Neytiri helped him up. Jake looked to Mo'at questioningly, "Completely. You were Omitacya, now you are truly Na'vi."

"Thankyou, Tsahik, this is the greatest honor you could give me." Jake bowed to his mother-in-law. At least, he guessed that was the term. He and Neytiri had mated for life, as was the Na'vi custom, he guessed that this spirit woman before him was now a part of his family. Jake turned back to the Omitacaya behind him and let out a cry, "I am home!"

The eruption of cheers was grand, their roars of pleasure washed over him like a wave of passion and ecstacy. In the marine's he had learned to see people as members of the same company, the same squadron, you watched out for them because they watched out for you. Now, as he gazed at the Omitacaya, at the Na'vi, he saw them as family. He would watch out for them because he loved them, because he felt tied to them not through any physical or mental means, but by the strength of his love for them.

Jake smiled out at the crowd, he watched as each cheered for him. One man did not cheer in the midst. Jake did not know this Na'vi. Jake's smile wilted. Who was this one that did not welcome him, who was this man of his family that hated him?

Mo'at came and took Jake's hand as well as Neytiri's, "You two, my beloved daughter, and my beloved son, I ask something of you two."

"Yes mother?" Neytiri said, a questioning golden gaze directed at first to Jake and then to her mother, "What is it you require of us."

"As Taruk Makto and his betrothed, the future Tsahik, much rests on your shoulders." Mo'at said seriously, "Jakesully, you have proven yourself a great hunter in the taming of Last Shadow, but you must understand all you have done to hurt the Omitacaya."

"Mother!" Neytiri shouted, outraged.

"She is right, Neytiri, I have wronged the Omiticaya gravely."

"In all the memory of the Na'vi, there has never been one who was responsible for so much destruction, for so much death." Mo'at continued. Jake straightened himself, an old marine habit. When one assailed your character you fortify your heart and mind. This woman was his superior here, her word was final. Though he was Taruk Makto, Taruk Makto was only needed in times of war, and now war was ended, "Hometree is gone, we have no place but for the embrace of the sacred tree. But we cannot claim this place as our own this is a place that is open to all Na'vi.

"What would you have us do, Mother," Neytiri spoke, biting her tongue to not say more. Jake praised the ancient spirits that she knew to hold her tongue in this situation. An outburst here may force Jake to leave the Omitacaya for good.

Mo'at did not speak to Neytiri in response, but rather to the surrounding Omitacaya, "Brothers and Sisters, we are without home!" The Omitacaya knew not how to respond, they stood dumbly, "We are without clan leader, we hide in the shadow of what has passed." The Na'vi began to murmur, "These two, my daughter and my son have come to me, they know they are responsible for what has befallen our tribe and they come to me, to us, asking our forgiveness!"

"Neytiri," Jake asked uneasily, "What is going on?"

"We are on trial, Jake,"

"Oh," Jake murmured, "Shit."

"Yes," Neytiri shook her head, "very much shit indeed." Jake looked to his beloved and saw the tears in her golden eyes, "What these people decide here, before the sacred tree will be our punishment, here they all know our crimes and our failings. But no matter what, we shall endure it together."

"Eywa calls to you people!" Mo'at addressed her people, "What shall be done with Neytiri?" The crowd said nothing. Neytiri relaxed, Jake could feel her grip on his hand loosen, "What shall be done with Jakesully?" Mo'at asked the crowd.

For a long time there was silence, and Jake felt a knot in his stomach loosen when he had not known it to be there.

"Banishment." A single voice called. Neytiri's hand clutched Jake's so hard it was nearly painful, the crowd of Na'vi gave a collective gasp and began to murmur. It was that man who hated him, it was the man that did not welcome Jake to the Na'vi.

Mo'at beckoned the man forward, obviously disappointed that somebody had spoken, "Laz'dumei."

Neytiri cursed beside Jake.

"What reason do you say banishment to this one, this one who has driven off the humans?" Mo'at questioned.

Laz'dumei, as was his name, looked at Jake, "This one destroyed Hometree, if not for him our home would still be standing, he is the one that brought the sky people's dragons upon us."

Jake opened his mouth to speak, to protest, but Neytiri covered his mouth, "Silence, my love, any words now will only condemn you. One of the Omiticaya must come to your aid, one not of your family." Jake clenched his jaw, his razor sharp teeth biting his gums.

Laz'dumei turned to the Omitacaya, "This human walks among us now as 'a great warrior'. What outrage is this for our people to bear? As a human he could not even walk, yet as one of us he is revered? He was no warrior, he was a puppet of the Sky People, he still bears the stench of their science. He may now be Na'vi, but that body he walks in was not born of Pandora, it was born of their cold thoughts and cold minds." People murmured, but none spoke up.

"His presence among us is a mockery; he betrayed our home to the humans, who is to say he will not do it again."

"I will not!" Jake shouted, his temper getting the better of him. The crowd's collective gaze swerved to Jake, Neytiri began to wail and Mo'at looked ready to cry once more. As all this occurred Jake came to realize just what he had done to himself, he had banished himself from the Omitacaya.

"Jakesully," Mo'at spoke to her son, "You have spoken giving validity to the crimes of which you are accused," Jake knelt before the Tsahik, shock overwhelming him, "You admit your guilt in destroying our home and are banished from the Omitacaya until you can restore our home to us. Be gone from here, Jakesully, and know that you are alone in this world."

Jake couldn't think of anything to do, of anything to say. So he stood and nodded to the Tsahik, the woman who had a moment ago been his mother, now gazed at him coldly, her words restricted by the custom of her people.

Neytiri raced off into the surrounding forests of Pandora. Jake could see the tears that trailed behind her as she raced away from him.

Jake walked after her, leaving his family behind, for they refused him.

How could her mother do this?

Neytiri raced through the beautiful forests of Pandora, the wind kissing her glistening blue skin, long hair flowing behind her. The pain in her heart muted the pain of her feet as she raced outward into the landscape. Rocks and briars dug into her calloused feet, but she raced onwards.

She heard him yelling her name, she could hear the love in it, the worry, but he did not understand. What Laz'dumei had said he had proven true. Jake was not of this world, he was an outsider and always would be.

Neytiri darted over trunks of trees and around growing plants. Every so often the random forest critter would look to her, startled, before she raced onwards past it. The world around her became a blur as tears filled her golden eyes, she wiped them away but to no avail, they poured from her eyes like the waters of the wild over the cliffs. Her heart burned with pain, her love, her mate, was now an outsider of the tribe, doomed to walk alone until Hometree was re-grown. She did not cry for the fact that he had been banished from her presence. Neytiri knew suffering. She wept because her love would now be cast out from all tribes, doomed to live alone until death took him. She wept because she had promised him in her gentle whispers at night that she would protect him from both the humans and the Na'vi.

Neytiri tripped, her body slid across the ground and came to a halt. The dirt and rock tore at her skin, but the pain, like the agony her feet had endured, was not noticed by her fretting mind. Her Toruk Makto was now banished, the man that had led the Na'vi to fend the sky people back into the outer reaches of space was banished to live alone for all his life in the harsh forests, unprotected.

The bumbling fool could not even protect himself, the moron needed her to watch over him, but so did the Omaticaya, they needed her more than Jake did. Neytiri tried to piece her thoughts together but they fell apart into fragments before they could be assembled into words. She could do naught but cry out to the forest, to Eywa for her this injustice.

"My love, Neytiri," Jake said, wrapping his strong arms around her. She hadn't heard his approach, and this should have bothered her. She was a huntress as alert as any that had ever lived, and a bumbling clumsy child crept up on her. She took respite in his embrace; it might be the last they shared. If they were caught fraternizing, associating, together at all after his banishment she would be punished, her rank stripped from her, and all would be for naught. She couldn't even achieve banishment, now all her reprimands would be in consideration of their separation, "I know your heart is troubled, but turn, see me, my love, as you have so many times before."

Neytiri listened, she turned and looked into his large eyes, that toothy smile that said everything would be all right when there was no way that it ever could be. That smile that lied, that smile that she believed, even when she shouldn't.

"I have been cast out, yes?" Jake asked her, stroking her hair. She nodded into his chest as she cried, her body trembling, "And I must restore Hometree to return home." Again she nodded, "Then I shall."

Neytiri stopped crying, "Are you a fool, Jakesully? Are you so dense that you think you can restore a tree thousands of years old in a time as short as our lifespan? Do you know nothing?" Neytiri shoved Jake away from her in outrage, but he held her close, ignoring her strength.

"Do you love me, Neytiri." Jake asked her solemnly. In those words Neytiri could hear his pain. He had sacrificed so much for a people he longed to be accepted by, whose blood he had spilled and had his blood spilled for. This human that walked in a Na'vi body, this Na'vi that clung to a people that had forsaken him, she didn't want to answer him, it hurt to much.

Her voice was shuddering, "Yes. I told you at the roots of the Tree of Voices that I loved you and took you as my life mate. You are mine and I am yours and I would have it be no other way."

"Trust me, my beautiful Neytiri. Trust me to do what must be done for the Omaticaya. Go and train to be the Tsahik, learn from your mother the will of Eywa. One day I will return to redeem my name and take you as my wife once more. No matter what the Omaticaya do they cannot change your love for me, nor mine for you." Jake whispered all of this to her, he whispered it in her ears. His hot breath on her skin made her skin tingle as it had what felt like so long ago.

She remembered how she had felt betrayed by him when she learned of the Sky People's attack, she remembered the hurt of watching her father die and how she had blamed him, but that was not Jakesully. Jakesully was a man that fought tooth and nail for everything he loved, he was a man who accomplished what seemed impossible and laughed it off.

She stood, taking herself from his arms and looked at the Na'vi kneeling before her, "Jakesully, you are charged with returning Hometree to the Omaticaya. Do so and your banishment shall be lifted, return to us with Hometree and you will live among us as one of the Omaticaya. Return with Hometree to me and you will never, ever again be permitted to leave my side or I swear to Eywa that I will cut you down where you stand. Taruk Makto or no, you accomplish this and not even Eywa will keep me from my mate's embrace."

Jake laughed at her words, and right he should, his goal was impossible. He stood as well and took neytiri into his arms, "Nothing will keep me from you, Neytiri. I flew through the darkest night for six years, survived two wars and was crippled to find you. Now because of you I am more complete than I ever was. Nothing so small as Hometree will keep us apart for long." Jake kissed her, he kissed her hard. The pain was so immaculate that Neytiri almost wept for joy as his cracked lips smashed into hers. The passion there erased any question of reality that she ever held, if all turned to dust, Neytiri would know that Jake loved her with his whole being.

She awoke in the darkness, alone. The sun had set. Jake was nowhere in sight. He would be gone by now, he would have left her to protect her people as he went off into the wilds to search for a new home. Neytiri dressed and stood, her body sore from the cruel run she had forced it through in her woe and from the love she had endured at Jake's hands. Neytiri smiled as she remembered him together with her, but the smile was short lived as she realized she did not know when she would know his touch again, nor did she know if she would ever lay eyes on her Toruk Makto ever again.

Neytiri emerged from the brush and was surprised to see the Great Leonopteryx standing there before her. The Last Shadow, Makto. Neytiri shivered as she stared into its red eyes. But it did not attack, it knew her well as Jake's mate. Jake had shared his love for Neytiri with the creature and it bowed its neck to her, signaling her to climb upon it.

Neytiri was baffled, she had never imagined a Makto to bow to her, but she had never expected a viperwolf to bow either, but as the viperwolf let her ride to save Jake, so this Makto would let her ride. She patted the great beast on the neck as she situated herself onto its neck. They did not bond, it would not let her, but she took hold of its antennae to control its flight, much as Jake had. With that she took off for the sacred tree and her people. There she would have much to do in order to protect them.

Jake watched Neytiri vanish into the darkness as he walked the lands of Pandora. He had no idea of where to start, his words that he had spoken to Neytiri seemed hollow. Jake had no idea of where to even begin looking for his goal. He needed a seed of Hometree, and then to make it grow. Jake loped off into the forest, heading for the human settlement that had now been all but abandoned. Norman and Max might be able to help him, but he loathed losing touch with the forest. Still, he called for his banshee and it came to him. He took to the skies, the rush of flying lost, the pit in his stomach weighing down his soul.

Laz'dumei sat among the other Na'vi, some were not pleased with what he had done, others felt he had been justified in his accusations, but most were angry. He did not care. Tsu'tey had been the one Na'vi that could defeat him for the hand of Neytiri, for the title of Chieftain. Soon there would be a call for a new Chieftain and Laz'dumei would win it, and he would force that dreamwalker's mate to his bed. Neytiri would bear his children, willingly or not.

Laz'dumei sat on the edge of the Na'vi, his blade drawn working a piece of wood that had fallen to the ground. It was a large piece that a child had brought to him before the transfer of Jakesully to his Na'vi body and he worked it. Laz'dumei had done this for many years, some saw him as a bit of an outsider, and in truth he was, but he had spent much time alone making carvings out of wood. The children took advantage of this unique skill and brought him wood to be shaped.

He carved Tsu'tey out of the wood. The man sat proudly upon his banshee. Though the wood would never move the image was that of the creature frozen in flight, wind filling its wings and whipping Tsu'tey's long braid behind him. A child sat at his feet watching with awe as the figure emerged from the wood, the amazed smile lifted Laz'dumei's heart. There was much work to be done, they would need a home, but before that they would need a chief, and before that they would need to mourn. As he carved the wood his mind churned. The smooth strokes of his knife across the wood, eliminating the excess was the same way his mind worked. He carefully considered an idea and removed the parts that would fail, or would not work.

Tsu'tey had been a friend, though a rival, Laz'dumei had bowed to him because he had rightfully beaten him as a warrior time and again. He wasn't about to let Jakesully walk in and take Tsu'tey's Tsahik, Tsu'tey's mate. Jakesully did not deserve Neytiri, nor did he deserve the body he walked in. Now he was banished and would not trouble the Na'vi nor the Omaticaya again.

Laz'dumei handed the warrior in flight to the waiting child who took it reverently. He tussled the little boy's hair, "Be off now, little one, go play with your friends and show your toy to your parents. They will like it."

Laz'dumei stood and walked among the people, he listened to their words. Some were words of praise for him for his accusation of Jakesully, but others were words of praise. The other tribes of the Na'vi were gone, leaving only the Omaticaya to deal with their business. That was good, there would be more unrest if the others learned that a dreamwalker had led them against the humans rather than a Toruk Makto. He wandered and listened to their words. Some spoke of raising a chief, others spoke fondly of family they had lost at the falling of Hometree.

After a short time, Laz'dumei found himself standing beneath the sacred tree as Mo'at sat in prayer. He joined her, crossing his legs and closing his eyes in thought. He did not believe in the spiritual force of Eywa, but he did acknowledge the connections between all living things. They were too obvious to miss, but that did not mean some loving mother of a deity was behind them. He kept his mouth shut though, the others of the Omaticaya would not take kindly to his atheistic ideals.

Laz'dumei sat thinking of a way to broach the subject of finding a new home, one not in the embrace of the sacred tree so this land could be open to all Na'vi as it should be.

Mo'at spoke first, "I am not pleased with you, Laz'dumei."

"I have only spoken my mind before my people, would you have me lie to them before the sacred tree and soil my spirit, Tsahik?" Laz'dumei responded in defense.

"I am not angry at you for that. One should always be honest and straightforward, especially with family like the Omaticaya."

"Yet you are angry." Laz'dumei said simply, there was no question, just the goal of an answer.

"You took advantage of Jakesully's anger. You took advantage of his poor knowledge of our culture. He was a good Na'vi." Mo'at defended her daughter's former life mate.

"If that is what you think, Tsahik, then now was not the time for you to put his trial before the people."

Mo'at twisted her mouth sourly, though kept her eyes closed, "Yes, I was wrong in doing that. I will no doubt hear from my daughter. I am much saddened. He had a good heart."

Laz'dumei kept his tongue in check, he would not argue these points. They were things they thought differently on, very differently, now was not the time to convince her otherwise.

"Take the three best hunters with you." Mo'at said, "As well as Pinrah and Shi'ralla. They are poor hunters but they have shown talent for using Eywa's gifts. You six will go and find us a new home until a new Hometree seed can be procured and planted. Eywa willing."

Laz'dumei stood, "Yes, Tsahik. It will be as you say." He left her presence and dived into the crowd. He would find hunters, hunters that thought the same as him about Jakesully, now was not the time for a lengthy discourse on what has already passed.

A large shadow flew over the gathered Na'vi and many looked up. A Makto descended to where many of the banshees sat perched waiting for their riders. Laz'dumei knew this Makto, knew the rider that usually adorned its back. Had Jakesully come to make his job that much easier. If the fool returned without a solution then he would be slain. If the dreamwalker ever returned he would be slain. Laz'dumei watched with a smile as the great creature landed in the night, its body alight with its own luminescence as was everything surrounding them.

Upon its back, however, was not Jakesully, it was Neytiri. This confused Laz'dumei, he turned his ears in the direction of Neytiri and listened as others asked her questions.

"You are Toruk Makto now?" some asked.

"No, this is my mates and he shall watch over me in his absence until my mate returns."

"Jakesully intends to return?" A child asked hopefully.

Neytiri cupped the child's face and smiled, "He will return and he will bring Hometree with him. He has promised me such." The child beamed back.

Laz'dumei cursed that man and all humans.

"Goddammit!" Norman Spellman slammed his fists against the console, causing the screen to flicker momentarily. He just couldn't make the numbers work. He hand the other humans had been too hasty in their actions after the Na'vi had driven most of the humans off of Pandora and back to Earth. Immediately they had known that the human resources would not last forever. They figured that they would grow themselves avatars and then hopefully make the transition from human to Na'vi as Jake had, but now Norm couldn't figure out how any of that would work. They had created several avatars, one for each of the humans remaining, but there were not enough resources to grow them fully and support the humans to live for the time it took to grow them.

Norman cursed the numbers. They had scoured every part of the human bases, all the field bases, and all the rotting corpses for resources and it still was not enough.

A hard knock came at the door, startling Norm from his fretful thoughts.

"Y-yea, " Norm coughed, taking a drink of water, "Come in."

Max opened the door but revealed a crouched blue Na'vi squatting behind him. Norman was surprised to see Jake so soon, "Jake, its, it's the middle of the fucking night, why are you here? Why aren't you with Neytiri and the Omaticaya?"

Jake's large avatar…well, now Jake…ducked through the doorway and strode across the wide room in a few strides, his longer legs carrying him further than a humans. Norman thought he saw tears behind the large eyes. That couldn't be possible, Jake was a former marine, a man as hard as any, a Na'vi as courageous as any there ever had been.

The large figure slumped next to Norman in his desk chair, "They banished me."

Norman was astonished, "They did what? How could they do that?"

"Some anus licking shit eater." Jake huffed through a sigh, "He called for me to be punished because of what happened to Hometree."

Norm looked to Max who had followed his old friend into the room, "Surely they can let you do something…Mo'at or Neytiri…" Norm trailed off as both Jake and Max shook their heads in almost unison.

"The only way for me to rejoin the Omaticaya is to re-grow the Hometree. I can't even just find a seed and plant the damn thing, I have to re-grow it to its full height apparently." Jake put his hand over his eyes. Norm could tell he was visibly upset. The light of the monitor caught a tear run down the cheek of his luminescent Na'vi face.

"Well," Norm began, "Not to heap problems on you but we're having some trouble here too. The fact that the Na'vi have banished you probably means our relations with them are going to grow even more strained." Norm shook his head, "Look, I want to help you, Jake, I really do. But we have to deal with our own problems first. As we stand right now all of us remaining humans, will be dead in the next four years due to lack of resources. No new shipment is coming from our friends back on earth. The only thing they might send is warships. We're trying to grow our own avatars so we can go out and become Na'vi as you have, but now…well…shit!" Norm smacked a hula girl off his desk to send it clanging in pieces across the smooth floor.

Jake moved his hands to his side and just lay on the floor in defeat. Norm looked to him and then away quickly.

"Aw, c'mon Jake, if your're going to be hanging out around here, put pants on, I don't want to see your junk hanging out every time I look down or up or wherever you happen to be in relation to my face."

Max chuckled at this, Jake did too despite himself.

Norm rolled his eyes and stormed out of the room, "Not funny!" His voice trailed down the hall.

Neytiri walked among the hanging leaves of the tree of voices, that moron boy following her. She smiled softly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She spoke, she said the words, but they were lost to her immediately. Jake responded by his words were lost, she had only the feeling of disappointment. She spoke once more, and so did Jake, the disappointment weighed on her like the shadow of a Makto. She might as well have gone to Tsu'tey's bed and let him take her.

"I have chosen." Jakes words rang through her heart like a crystal bell, "But she must choose me as well."

Neytiri bolted awake, those words reverberating in her heart and mind, 'I have chosen him,' she thought to herself, 'I must trust him now.' With that she sat up and looked at the great tree above her, its white wispy arms swaying in the breeze, the tree of souls.

As she stared to the sky she spoke to the great mother, "Eywa, return Jakesully to me. I do not care if he can hold to his promise, just let me hold him in my arms again.

"Be strong, my daughter," Mo'at startled her daughter, "Eywa brought Jakesully into your life for a reason."

"Then why send him on such an impossible quest to prove himself to us," Neytiri challenged.

"Because, my daughter," Mo'at said to the nightsky, "If anyone can do the impossible, it is that man."

Neytiri couldn't argue that, "Who will lead us in the meantime?"

"We shall until some one challenges us to name a chieftain, then we name one that will step down to Taruk Makto." Her mother was so sure, so resolute. Neytiri would have to be the same. She only hoped she could keep her quaking heart from everyone else, "Morning will come soon, I have assigned Laz'dumei to find us a new home. His presence away from the tribe will allow us to begin to fortify Jakesully's position among us so should he not succeed, he will be accepted back among us."

"I must give you more credit mother," Neytiri said, turning to the older Na'vi, "You put more thought into this than I had first understood, I apologize for not understanding."

"Oh, daughter of mine," Mo'at laughed, "This was not my idea, it was Eywa's." her mother's laughter was more than a little unsettling, "Get rest, the sun is rising, we will need to be moving shortly."

Jake stood outside with Norm and Max, watching the other humans try to figure out if they could grow any edible foods in the soil. They took samples and tested it, planted some potential seeds but had little hope.

Jake picked at his cargo shorts, he didn't like the way they felt after so long without them. He felt as though he were trapped in some complex weave. He did however like the familiar weight of a pistol slung at his hip as well as the two chains of bullets slung over his shoulders, forming an X across his chest. He fancied himself a little bit of a Rambo. A machine gun was slung by a strap over his left shoulder. Everything chalk full of armor piercing rounds with two clips of explosive rounds in each pocket for the pistol.

Jake respected life and would pray to the great mother Eywa if he was forced to take a life, but he felt sorry for any creature of Pandora that sought to challenge him. He was not in the mood to deal with any problem. He cracked his neck and looked out into the wilds past the edge of the human complex, "Tell me the plan again?"

Max scratched his beard, "No food is edible for us, it's all poisonous, that we found. Those resources however go a long way into making an avatar body. The more resources you get us the quicker we can build avatars. Hopefully we can make the mind-jump as you did before our two year time limit."

Norman patted Jake on the arm, "We're all working on your problem Jake, I may have an idea."

Jake's ears turned towards his old friend, "Yes?"

"The avatar bodies grow at an accelerated rate because of their gestation period, the body is chemically forced through all the developmental changes. We may be able to engineer that towards helping the growth of a plant." Norm looked hopeful.

"That's good, if you guys can work on the science bit, I can do what I can on the whole brute force end." Jake mumbled, "I don't really have any idea of how I would go about it anyways. This gives me time to think, to give into instinct." Jake set off into the wilds disappearing after he passed through the first barrier of brush.

Max scowled at Norman, "You know that will never work," Norman nodded, "Then why lie to him?"

"We need him focused on this task if we're to survive." Norman answered simply, "If his mind is bent on how he's going to get back in with the Omaticaya then we will all die. After we are all beyond human, when we are all Na'vi, then we can all focus on repaying him for saving our lives multiple times."

"I don't like it Norm," Max shook his head.

"You don't have to." Norm shrugged off Max's concern and went to help run tests on the soil.

"This is a good place," Pinrah stated simply, kicking a stray twig off the ground. She gazed directly at the ground, never looking around. Laz'dumei was growing irritated with her and Shi'ralla. They had found several places that had suited Laz'dumei to set up a small village for the people of Omaticaya, but they had discounted them without even gazing around.

"Why?" Laz'dumei demanded. He rounded on the two female Na'vi, his gaze containing all the command he could muster.

Shi'ralla ignored him, she began testing the plants around her with different pokes and prods, "We will need some of those Trijoo from the last clearing, but yes, I agree, this is a good place."

Trijoo? Laz'dumei was sure they were mocking him now, Trijoo were a large waxy plant with singular giant leaves that stood taller than any Na'vi by some height. Laz'dumei felt his anger spike and he began to twitch his fingers towards his knife, "Why is this place better than the others I suggested?" He demanded of the two women again. The way they ignored him made Laz'dumei positive they supported Neytiri and Jakesully. His fellow hunters began to shift uneasily.

"This place is dry." Pinrah said, never taking her eyes from the ground, "Above are many tree canopies to protect our people from rain and any falling water will travel downhill, we are atop a slight peak in the ground that will protect the Omaticaya from rising waters." Laz'dumei looked up and saw the many criss-crossing branches of the towering foliage. He growled in defeat, but Pinrah kept talking, "There is also opportunity to keep expanding for some time, this is only the beginning of this peak, and there are neighboring peaks with trees just as strong as these." She patted the moss covered trunk of one tree, causing it to alight with its internal bio-luminescence.

Shi'ralla picked up where Pinrah left off, "There are also many resources here, fruits grow in abundance and tracks frequent through here, making hunting easier. Though I do not like the idea of taking from the Great Mother, there are resources present to build shelter should something happen. This location has everything the Omaticaya need."

Laz'dumei, thoroughly persuaded that these two odd women were right about this place. He howled to the sky and heard the return call from his banshee. As it swooped in through the tree tops he commanded the other hunters, "Begin to set up for the arrival of our people, I shall go and tell the Tsahik of our success." The banshee swept low through the trees and landed next to Laz'dumei with a gust of wind that sent dust and dirt flying in all directions. The hunter mounted his ride and made the connection. The rush of emotions and feelings that were his mount, his banshee, his friend flooded into his mind.

'To the sacred tree.' Laz'dumei thought. With two mighty flaps of its wings the banshee was airborn, more flaps brought the creature above the canopy, leaving the other Na'vi in the dust. He soared above the canopy, above the forest and all its inhabitants, feeling the afternoon sun on his face and the cool embrace of rushing air upon his skin. He felt the air cool his skin and this cooled his temper. He bid his banshee to fly faster but what he usually enjoyed about flying was now a distraction from what was at hand.

He had found them a home. They would name him chief. Though he had meant to focus on his goals, he found himself imagining Neytiri in his bed. Those sleek and slender curves of her body as she moved, those beautiful eyes hinting at a beautiful mind. How he longed to touch those curves and gaze into those eyes. And oh how it ate at him that she chose Jakesully over anyone of their own race. He would take Neytiri as his mate, and he would love her, but she would pay for betraying the Na'vi much as her mate has been punished for masquerading as one. He tantalized himself with how he would punish his beloved, and before he knew it the Banshee was descending into the area around the sacred tree where the Omaticaya gathered.

He dismounted his banshee, breaking the connection. Everyone looked to him, but he ran to Mo'at with the news.

Neytiri stood at her mothers side conversing about something, Laz'dumei paid it no heed and spoke before they acknowledged his presence, "Tsahik, the hunters and I have found a place to settle for the meantime, it has much potential and there is much food in its vicinity. We have a place to call home."

The Tsahik raised her eyebrow at the man who interrupted her talk with her daughter, "Good."

Jake had gone the entire morning without seeing any of the wild life that populated the forests of Pandora. He looked everywhere for tracks and found an abundance of them, but no animals. Jake cursed his luck and sat down on a riverbank for a rest. He pulled a piece of fruit off of a low hanging tree branch and took a bite, the blue juices running down his face. Jake wiped them away and thought of his beloved.

He loved Pandora, every inch of it, its dangerous beauty and its tranquil silence.

A loud cry broke his thoughts. Jake dropped his fruit and whipped the pistol out in front of him. His hyper-sensitive ears searched through all the sounds of the forest, he heard a loud cry of pain once more. Jake darted in that direction. The trees and brush fell away, the razor sharp leaves cut his cheek once, but aside from that the whip like structures left him unhurt as he raced. The pistol still in his hand.

It wasn't long until Jake came to the cry of pain, the large creature still huffed in pain. It was on its last breath. Jake looked into its large eyes as it died, saw its soul go and rejoin Eywa. It was one of those beasts that vaguely reminded him of a rhino and a hammerhead shark.

Jake pressed the communicator at his throat, "Norm, this is Jake, come in."

The voice on the other end came in mixed with static, "This is Norm, I read you Jake. What's up?"

"You know those elephants with the heads like a shark and a peacock?"

There was a long pause, "Yea."

"Yea, I got one of those guys here, Do you think we could air lift it out and use it?"

The response was immediate, "Yes of course we can, depending on the conditions of the tissue and the chemical make up we may be able to use a lot of that creature."

"Good." Jake nodded, "Mark my position and come get this big guy." Jake patted the creature on its leg and smiled, this beasts passing made it easier on him, he did not feel like taking from the great mother after she had given him so much. Jake circled the creature

If Norm responded to Jake's words, it went unheard. On the other side of the creature a giant cavern sat. Not the kind of cavern that had been forged through years of erosion, no, this was the kind of cavern that just burst open out of dirt because something below had decided to poke its head out. The air coming out of the abyss was hot and moist and stank like rotting corpses. Jake had no idea what could have caused such an upheaval of earth and rock.

A screeching cry broke the silence.

"Norm?" Jake said, touching his comm.

"Yea, Jake?"

"Send back up."

Jake unslung his machine gun and made sure it was loaded. The metal clack of the gun cocking was silenced by the oppressing sounds of the forest. The earth beneath Jake's feet began to shake.

Neytiri's Woe IV – Descent

The floor beneath Jake's feet quaked; it trembled with the force of an army of tanks. He knew that feeling well from his time on earth, from that time when he would slay his Mother's children for the nonsense of some politician. Now he had a new Mother, and he only killed when needed. Though he held the doctrines of the Na'vi close to his heart, Jake felt fear grow inside of him. And as any marine would do when confronted with personal weakness, Jake crushed it, destroyed it, and didn't acknowledge its existence. Jake sully stood firm before the trembling earth, machine gun in hand and finger on the trigger.

The scream tore through the air again; Jake could tell it was coming from the hole before him. He would have killed for a grenade right about now, but he didn't have one. The heat from the open earth poured out more and more heavily with each successive scream that tore through the terrain.

Jake's mind couldn't even fathom what this giant creature was, he had thought the Taruk Makto was the largest beast that Pandora had to offer, and here he was staring down the barrel of yet another lethal weapon of nature. The earth gave one final heave sending waves of mud and plants in all directions, Jake was thrown from his feet a ways off as the corpse of the Hammerhead Titanothere was tossed into the air above Jake like a rag doll. Jake watched the new creature emerge from the ground, it's awesome strength visible to any who cared to look as it plowed through earth and creature like a hot knife through butter.

Jake's curse was lost to the sound of the forest being torn apart as clumps of dirt and rock descended upon him.

As the Hammerhead Titanothere fell from the sky the creature caught it in its maw. As it ate its meal Jake was given the opportunity to see this weapon of Pandora in all it's beauty. Every section of it was covered in a bone like plate, but they rattled and brushed against one another as this…thing…whipped itself about. Jake righted himself and pointed the machine gun at the beast. From the ground the beast extended out of the canopy. Its head was pointed like an arrow, but Jake could see as it chewed that the face was divided into sex unequal sections, each with barbs and teeth sticking out in strange directions. Of all the strange things on Pandora, it was by far the most hideous.

The same nature that produced his beautiful Neytiri, made this wyrm, this hideous monstrosity of a living thing. Jake watched the Hammerhead Titanothere disappear into the beast's gullet.

Jake touched his throat again, "Norm?"

"Jake, what's going on out there? We're reading seismic wa-"

"Norm, call off the pick up." Jake commanded.

"Why? We need that for the ava-"

"The hammerhead thing is…" Jake paused trying to think of how to phrase this, "The thing I'm looking at, just ate the hammerhead thing like a starving homeless man given a burger. One bite! Do you understand?"

"Understood, calling off the pickup."

Jake nodded, relieved, he wouldn't have to worry about endangering any humans. He looked the beast up and down, "Who's gonna save me?" Jake asked aloud, putting the butt of his machine gun to his shoulder. If the armor piercing rounds didn't work, then the explosive rounds, if those didn't work, well then Eywa will be meeting him in person sooner than he had hoped.

The beast craned its length toward Jake, arching its body to sit like the head of a snake poking out of the ground. Twelve golden eyes peered at the small blue creature before it. The mouth pieces split open revealing rotating rows of teeth stained with the blood and flesh of the Titanothere. No matter how Jake pictured this going, it always seemed to end poorly for him.

The great wyrm roared to the sky.

Jake roared back, shooting his gun into the air. If he learned one thing from his first encounter with the wild of Pandora, make yourself seem as intimidating as possible. The two stood there for a time gazing at one another, waiting for the other to make the first move. A Great Leonopteryx flew by overhead; it called to the sky as it circled the wyrm. The wyrm barked back but began to slide back into the hole from which it had emerged.

Jake nearly shat himself in relief. He fell onto his back and sprawled out, the slow slide of the retreating wyrm causing only slight vibrations in the ground. Jake gazed up through the canopy at the circling Leonopteryx. His mind trailed to Neytiri.

"Norm?" Jake said touching his throat and the communicator there.

"What's going on Jake? What happened?" Norm's voice crackled through the comm.

"Do you know anything about giant worms the size of transport ships?" Jake asked through huffing breaths.

"No, why?" the answer was innocent.

"Just wondering. Jake out." Jake felt the vibrations growing more and more distant beneath him until they vanished all together. His curiosity begged him to descend into the cavern left by the wyrm, but his sense of duty told him to be about finding natural resources to be used to construct avatars. That was the quickest way back to Neytiri. Standing, he began to look around, but not really searching for anything in particular. It wasn't long before he was back searching through the wilds of Pandora.

-

-

Neytiri slung her father's bow over her and mounted the Makto. The other hunters had gone on ahead on their Banshees and Direhorses, but she remained behind bringing up the tail of the nomadic pack of Na'vi so that none would be left behind. Now all were gone from the presence of the sacred tree and she could take the great lumbering beast that her mate had left to protect her to the skies. She had been in the presence of her people and their probing questions for too long and she longed to be alone with the one contact that she had with her mate.

With mighty beats of its great wings Neytiri and the Makto were in the air. They ascended through the strange rock constructs that protected the sacred tree and the two took to the skies uninhibited. Jake loved to fly with Neytiri, they shared much while they were in the skies. The rush of wind flying through her hair would always remind her of her beloved. She smiled sadly into the wind as the Makto dipped and swerved through the air, she let the beast take her where it would.

How she missed her Jake, she knew she should be with her people as they prepared their new home for their 'temporary' stay, but she just couldn't bring herself to care.

-

-

Laz'dumei watched as many hunters, men and women and children all, began to settle themselves in the new lands. This place was everything Pinrah and Shi'ralla had said, the expanse of the land was more than enough to house their wounded tribe until they were able to expand further. In Laz'dumei's absence Pinrah had managed to construct a large canopy out of leaves that hung over a common area as well as a tightly woven net that hung above the ground, out of reach of many of the passing animals. This place would keep them dry and out of harm's way as they taught their children, as they fought to stay alive without Hometree.

And they all accredited this find to him. Laz'dumei smiled as he watched. It was time for the next step of his plan.

Mo'at was helping one of the elder Na'vi up into the netted area Pinrah and Shi'ralla had constructed. He waited until the older woman had seated herself and Mo'at descended back into the common area before approaching her.

"Tsahik." He clasped his fist to chest before bowing slightly to the spirit woman.

"What is it Laz'dumei? I grow tired, this day has been long and tomorrow appears to have the same length." Mo'at was tired, it showed in her steps, in her eyes. They were all tired, this served his purpose. The Na'vi would be exhausted and they would be looking for a leader. Ah, a leader, a chieftain. Laz'dumei smirked as he bowed to the Tsahik.

"Matron of our tribe, we have a home now." Laz'dumei rose to his full height, staring down upon Mo'at.

"Yes," Mo'at turned from Laz'dumei, her eyes following him as he turned to follow her.

"It comes to mind," Laz'dumei tucked his arms behind his back as he ducked to follow the Tsahik of his former chieftain, the mother of his Tsahik, "That now with a home, we will need proper leadership. We will need a strong warrior to lead us in these times ahead."

Mo'at stopped and turned to Laz'dumei, "Oh?"

Laz'dumei started walking again. He had no doubt that Mo'at was onto him, but at this point Laz'dumei didn't care, there was nothing she could do about it. He cleared his throat and continued his rant, "It is no doubt a strenuous and trying postion, but it is something that the Omaticaya want, it is something we as a people need if we are to survive the trials ahead of us."

Mo'at laughed, "And you would put yourself forth for this trial then? You would sacrifice yourself for the benefit of our people?"

Laz'dumei stopped and Mo'at continued on a ways before turning back to him. Laz'dumei smirked at her, "The call has been made, Mo'at, you must announce it. Our ways say as much." Laz'dumei spread his arms to her, daring her to deny him. She said nothing, merely stared him down. With a flourish of his hands he bowed deeply, "Very well, Tsahik," Laz'dumei raised his voice, "People of the Omaticaya!"

Tired eyes turned to him, some interested, some bored, most uncaring at this point.

"I call to you! I beg of you! We need to have a leader, we need to have somebody to lead us in these dark times! I call for the trials of Mak'Rud'Domin!" Laz'dumei basked in the collective intake of breath. Mumbling started among the crowds. The trial of Mak'Rud'Domin called for the hunters to battle, to test their skills against one another. The last time this trial had taken place, Tsu'tey had beaten Laz'dumei by the barest skin of his fangs, but now no other stood in his way, "What say you, my family? Do we find the leader among us? Do we find the chieftain lurking in our midst so he can guide us? Or do we stay blind? Do we walk the forests like a child, stumbling about without a goal or prey? What say you all?"

Silence. Laz'dumei felt his spine stiffen, if none responded he would be a fool to the tribe, he would bear his shame and work as the lowest of hunters.

"I, too, call for the trials of Mak'Rud'Domin!" A hunter said from the canopy above. Others joined in the call and it wasn't long before the whole of the Omaticaya were cheering and whooping.

Mo'at raised her hand, the people fell silent. She smiled calmly to her family, "So it has been called that the trials shall commence, and so they shall." She bowed to her people, and they cheered. Laz'dumei saw the tear drop to the soil as she turned from the crowd and walked away to be by herself. The grunts and cheers of his people washed over Laz'dumei, oh how they washed over him, how those cries and calls sang in his heart. He joined the raucous sound, whooping and howling to the wind, caught in the feral craze that swept over the hearts of the Omaticaya.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mo'at slump against one of the great trunks and wipe at her eyes. The fact that she wept for her people while they cheered gave Laz'dumei a twisted joy.

-

-

Jake laughed as he and Norm joked strapping the corpse of an elder banshee to a giant gurney. Both of the men had a sadness to them, both knew that they did not really feel the joy they feigned, but they feigned for the sake of one another. On each man's shoulders a mountain of duty weighed a mountain of need. For Norm it was the desire to gain a life among the Na'vi, to leave the shackles of his human form behind. For Jake it was the need to rejoin his love, his people. Both of these goals brought the two men to the same place, but the requirements of each were drastically different.

"Seriously Norm!" Jake laughed, "It was like something out of a horror movie. It towered over the canopy! You saw the hole it left in the ground. That was like…I don't know…it was just so…"

"Alien?" Norm finished for him through the mask.

"Yea," Jake chuckled, "Who woulda thought, aliens on Pandora?" It didn't take long for the laughter to die, nor did it take long for the Banshee to be secured. Jake gestured at the beast as he strapped the machine gun back over his body. He was glad the only thing that had given him cause to use the deadly earth weapon was the wyrm, "How much does this help by the way? Each of these rotting animals I find, how much closer does it bring you to making an Avatar?"

Norm scratched his head as he sat in the cockpit of the Scorpion Copter, "Well, depending on how much of the material can be salvaged, one live banshee in its prime can give us half of an avatar, but an older one will only give us a portion depending on how long it's been dead and how much it has been exposed to the elements. This will probably shorten the growth of an Avatar by a week, but little else."

"And this technology, we can use that to re-grow a hometree?" Jake said hopefully. Something in the breeze shifted and Norm's gaze fell from Jake. Norm didn't answer, which gave Jake answer enough, "I see." The world was silent for a time, both men alone with their thoughts.

"We need your help, Jake," Norm whispered, "If you don't help us we're as good as dead."

Jake felt anger in his heart, he felt that beast rage within him as he considered how the humans had lied to him, how they had tried to take advantage of him, "I thank you for telling me the truth," Jake hesitated, "Brother."

That caught Norm's attention.

"I do not begrudge you your deception for it was needed for the survival of you and your tribe." Jake finished, blowing the air out of his lungs as though a weight had been lifted from his load. His eyes went skyward as he mulled over his thoughts.

"You sound more and more like a Na'vi, Toruk Makto." Norm smiled, thankful that his friend, whom he had deceived, had forgiven him.

"If I brought you that worm, how quick could you grow an Avatar?" Jake asked seriously.

"If it was as big as you say it was?" Norm picked at his teeth with his tongue, "I could have an Avatar for each day of the week by the end of the month. Why? Do you intend to lay one of these mythic beasts at my feet?"

Jake smirked, "Eywa willing." Jake vanished into the brush as the Scorpions rotors began to spin. His voice was lost to the rising roar of the motors of the human machine, but still Jake spoke, "Brother of mine by the great mother Eywa, I thank you for the body you left behind as your soul rejoined the mother. I am sorry, but the mortal shell in which you shed will not return to the Mother's embrace just yet. But I beg you, take solace in the knowledge that your death will give life to others."

-

-

Neytiri and the Makto landed in the new homeland of the Omaticaya, she could hear the shouts and whoops from high in the air and had come as quickly as she could, fearing attack or some wild beast running rampant in a home not yet established. The only wild things she found there was her people. The Omaticaya howled at the sky with a frenzied obsession, their actions erratic and trancelike. All of them swayed to the rhythm that was their own yells and howls, they moved and jumped and danced. Neytiri could tell their exhaustion was great, but still they danced, their excitement pushing their bodies beyond what was healthy.

Neytiri wandered beneath the luminescent trees as their glowing green lights illuminated the opening of the canopy in the early night. In all the frenzy it wasn't hard to find the one who was not partaking in the ferocious celebration. Neytiri found her mother hunched, out of sight of the others. She wept into her arms, her body crouched into the curves of the roots of a tree, trying to hide herself away. Neytiri had never seen her mother given to such sorrow. As she approached she heard her mother's voice.

"Eytukan…" she sobbed, "I tried so hard to do what is right. To do what Eywa willed, but this was not foreseen. I thought Neytiri and I would have more time. Eytukan, what do I do?"

"Mother?" Neytiri asked, reaching out to the noble Tsahik of the Omaticaya, to strong woman that taught her not only to wield a knife, but to wield a man as surely as any weapon.

Mo'at turned swiftly, her face first angry, but as recognition washed over her blue features, relief took its place as a mother reached out for her daughter, "Neytiri, my child, come here." The older woman pulled her daughter down to sit beside her. Around them the cacophony of sounds died into a background noise as they focused their ears onto eachother's words.

"Mother, what has happened?" Neytiri begged fervently.

"Laz'dumei has happened!" Mo'at hissed, "That fool hunter thinks to take Eytukan's title, Tsu'tey's title. Jakesully's title! For himself." Neytiri hissed at hearing this, she felt her own anger come to life like a raging fire within her, "Laz'dumei has initiated the trials of Mak'Rud'Domin. He knows the ways of our people better than most, he exploits it all he can. He is a sniveling Pokra that does not deserve the ground it slithers across!"

Despite everything, Neytiri felt love well in her heart. This woman had forced Jakesully's training upon her and it had been the best thing that had ever happened to her. This woman, her mother, loved that young Na'vi as though he were her own son. This Tsahik would love Jake for as long as Neytiri did, and probably beyond then as well, "Come, mother. Let us take our rest tonight and deal with this mess in the morning.

Neytiri led her mother to the temporary bedding that the Na'vi would share until more permanent structures could be grown. She laid her mother down and covered her, "Sleep now mother, I shall watch over you as you have watched over me so many nights. Sleep easy, for tomorrow we begin the trials of the Chieftain."

-

-

The sun had set and Jake stood on the edge of the giant opening left by the wyrm. He chewed his cheek as he thought about the beast he had seen and its awesome strength. Before him stood an opening to the depths of Pandora and all about him lay the testament to the destructive power that Pandora gifted its children with.

"Eywa," Jake mumbled, crossing himself as the ancient religions of Earth once had. He didn't know if those ancient gods were real, but at this point he would take any help he could get, "Grant me the strength I need to take this beast down. To save the humans and help make them children of your beautiful womb as you have saved me. Help me to return to the Omaticaya to their home."

Jake leapt into the abyss, climbing the wall with the ease of a Viperwolf leaping through the forest. Jake thought that the abyss was full of darkness, but as he reached further into the underground he saw the roots of the trees above overhead, their roots full of the luminescent property that made the terrain above his head so beautiful.

The air here was sticky and hot, hotter than the jungle above. Jake didn't like it very much, it reminded him of a sauna. The dirt beneath his feet was soft and freshly upturned, the soil squishing between his large toes as he crept as stealthily as possible. As he moved deeper into the caverns he became aware of strange sounds all around him. There was an incessant clicking that would rise and fall in intensity and frequency as he moved. There was a strange underground wind that moved foul, stinking air past him in uneven torrents and howled in his ears and whistled through the tunnel. Every so often he could hear a bark strangely reminiscent of the Banshee's cry. But he saw nothing in the darkness, the luminescent roots allowing him to see all that lay before him as clearly as if he were beneath the canopy and not the forest floor.

Dirt gave way to clay and clay became stone. The opening of the earth grew wider and higher as Jake descended further. No longer was light provided by the roots, but by strange stalagmite and stalactite resembling mushrooms. What had been a unidirectional opening was now a hole in the earth as large as any Jake had ever seen. Along the edges were rows of stone that appeared to be ramps. They could have fit twenty men striding abreast with room to spare and even then the spiral wound around the outside of the cavern as it twisted deeper into the earth.

Far below him was a faint blue-ish white glow that he found somewhat familiar.

Now, however was not the time for investigating. He had traveled far into the underground and his body was weary. Jake skulked off to the side of the cavernous maw of the earth and found himself a crevice with enough room to lay. And he did so making use of what Eywa gave him for comfort, which was very little.

His weariness overtook him before he knew it, Jake was in the embrace of his dreams, of Neytiri

-

-

The place was strange. Jake knew that much. It resembled his apartment back on earth, but it also resembled Hometree, the walls made of wood, the television replaced with a plant. He laughed as he wheeled himself over to the couch.

Wheeled? That wasn't right. Jake looked at his hands and legs. They were blue, he was Na'vi, and he stood. Who cared that he had wheeled himself in any direction, Jake found himself standing now, as he should be.

Jake opened and closed his hands, testing them for reality. He could tell this was a dream, some part of him knew he was deep underground, but this dream felt so much different than any he had as a human. This was his first true dream as a Na'vi.

"She has chosen, Jakesully, and she has chosen you." Jake turned, his head hitting the lamp above his head, though this was not what struck him speechless. In the doorway entering the room Neytiri stood, her back to the post. The arm further from him toyed with the wood of the door frame while the one nearer to him toyed with the fabric that hid her beautiful body from his sight. Her leg was arched, showing off the gentle curves of her muscles. Her black hair fell from her head in a cascade that begged Jake to run his hands through it.

Covering her was a silken camisole of black that ended with creamy satin. It joined at her breast and hid little of them from him. Her stomach was bare but below it the smallest piece of black silk covered her. Her eyes were heavy lidded as her gaze rolled towards him, her voice was husky as she spoke, "She has chosen you above all others. Now come to her so that she may reward you for your work."

Jake didn't move, but found himself sitting on the edge of a bed. Neytiri approached him from the doorway, her outfit flickering between the black camisole and the normal grey loin cloth that she usually wore. The dream world changed, too, but Jake had no eyes for the things flickering in and out of existence, he had eyes only for those glorious golden orbs that were his beloved's eyes. Her gaze was filled with something primal, something that stole his breath from him even as he felt the same fire within himself.

She placed a knee on each side of him, pushing him back onto the dirt of the forest floor as Jake grabbed a soft blanket and wrapped them both up in its embrace. They were together again, it had only been days, but their time apart felt like an eternity. Jake's hands ran over her perfection, taking in each curve, each contour, so that he would never forget her embrace. The insane need inside of his heart pulsed through him, singing each nerve with burning fervor as it coalesced and reverberated through his soul. Their movements became rushed, but their kisses always soft and loving, Jake gave himself over to the dream completely, over to Neytiri. His mind was entranced with how each contour of her body gave way to his and how each curve and arch of her slender physique matched his own. Their bodies were made for one another and they proved it to one another. They burned like a wildfire until all the forest was turned to ash, until the unstoppable force of flame and passion gave way to the barren lands that promised new life and joy.

Jake propped his head up on the carpet, gazing into the fireplace before him, letting the warmth of his love and of the flames wash over him. Neytiri looked up at him and played with his braided hair.

"I've missed you so, my love." Neytiri whispered. Her voice was so soft it was as though if she spoke too loud she would scare this moment away.

Jake felt likewise, "I miss you too, my dearest Neytiri."

"Much is happening, much that should not come to pass." Neytiri mumbled. Her body flickered before Jake. This did not disturb him, he knew this was a dream and that in the dream not all things were concrete, "Laz'dumei is wreaking havoc and mother cannot control it much longer. Soon he will be in control of the Omaticaya."

Jake only nodded, "So it must be, until I can return. Then I'll kick that fucker's ass."

Neytiri smirked, "Schxang."

"I am no moron," Jake retorted, "Now sleep, my love, I shall be here while you sleep, I am not going anywhere."

-

-

Neytiri awoke to the sun coming in through the canopy above her. No matter how she scolded herself she could not bring herself to get rid of the smile on her face. Everywhere her body tingled with the electric sparks of love. Her mate had seen her last night, in her dreams; every place he touched left a burning mark on her flesh that filled her with ecstasy. The world came more and more into reality as she emerged from her dream world, the harsh reality collided with her mind as the tingling faded.

Mo'at stroked her daughter's hair, "Come, it is near time to begin the Mak'Rud'Domin." The elder Tsahik stood and walked away from her daughter's resting place. Neytiri stood, stretching her stiff muscles out in the new morning light, and followed her mother's lead. She emerged into the central clearing, above her the net held many Na'vi aloft, many others stood upon the ground and encircled the mother daughter duo.

They were silent and watched with serious eyes.

Mo'at raised her arms to the sky, "Mak'Rud'Domin, I, Mo'at, Tsahik of the Omaticaya call forth the warriors of my family, the warriors of my people, to battle. Come before us and prove to us you are a great warrior, capable of leading the hearts and minds of our people so that we may guide their souls to Eywa. Step forth young and old alike, the best among you shall take the place of Tsu'tey and before him Eytukan. Come fight your hardest for your family."

Neytiri spoke up next to her, raising her hand as well, "Come and prove yourself to the children, to the elders and to the women that you are worthy of calling yourself Omaticaya. Come and prove the loyalties of your heart."

Both women let their hands drop to their sides. Hoots and hollers and all manner of yelling swarmed through the air filling their ears. A deep bass filled the air as the two first hunters entered the central clearing beneath the canopy.

Neytiri's Woe V – Chief of the Omaticaya

****Note 1: This story takes place after Avatar the movie, if you have not seen it do not read this for there are spoilers in it and I do not want to ruin the movie for anyone.****

****Note 2: I watched the movie again, so good, and I realized I have been using Toruk Makto in the wrong way. Previously I have assumed that Makto was the great leonopteryx…the big red bird…but it is actually Toruk. Makto I guess means 'rider of' and Toruk is the Last shadow. Sorry for the incorrect usage I hope I did not confuse anyone, from this point on I shall use it properly****

****Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, nor any of James Cameron's creations. The only thing I claim is this story line idea and all ideas that can be claimed as new to this story only (aka Laz'dumei, Pinrah, the wyrm creature)****

Laz'dumei sat silently in one of the taller trees of the forest. His breath was steady, almost non-existant, as he let his mind wander into his surroundings. He did not make the bond with the trees, but still he felt like he was one with the spirit of the forest. He didn't believe in the spiritual force of Eywa, but he could acknowledge the life force of all living things. The breeze moved the limbs of the great trees, their branches swaying to the silent tune of the wind's music.

He worked through each and every sound with a fine toothed come. He could hear the steady breath of the Tsahik, overseeing the trial, the squeak of Ikran hatchlings. All around him sounds, and each one he identified with the instrument which produced the note of the forest's mystic composition. He was an instrument himself, he waited for the note that would signal it was his time to begin his piece.

And out of nowhere, he heard the soft, almost inaudible percussion of foot steps followed by the rasping pipe of his rivals breath. This warrior was younger than Laz'dumei, some would see that as an advantage, he had not yet begun to feel the creaks and pains of his bones that Laz'dumei dealt with daily, but this was a foolish thought to have. Age only made Laz'dumei stronger. He had once been a headstrong foolishly courageous hunter himself, but as he aged his muscles had grown more practiced. The aches of age only increased Laz'dumei's tolerance for pain, it made him harder, stronger. He was only one cycle older than Tsu'tey had been when he had been cut down, but that year gave him a strong advantage over the younger men. He was the oldest still eligible to become chief. Another year gone by and the opportunity would be lost to him.

He thanked the sky people and their dreamwalkers for this opportunity.

Laz'dumei let the percussion continue, its volume rose as the hunter approached. Laz'dumei stopped breathing, he would not want such a thing to give him away. The young Na'vi was below him now. Laz'dumei leapt from the tree, cursing himself as the bark of the tree cracked under his feet. He should have tested the wood, but there hadn't been time.

The hunter beneath him whirled and looked upwards towards Laz'dumei as he descended from the canopy. The young hunter dropped his staff with a painted end and pulled a dull knife from the sheath upon his chest. This knife too was painted with green fluorescent pollen. These weapons were made for this ritual only, each young hunter received a practice weapon so they could test their skills against one another. This type of weapon was referred to by the Na'vi as Tambi, meaning 'jest'. Once a warrior was marked with a lethal blow the Tsahik would call them out and they must withdraw from the tournament. Most men worked on the honor system because the Tsahik could not see all at the same time. Even with both Neytiri and Mo'at on the watch, there were tens, if not nearly a hundred young warriors trying to prove themselves.

Laz'dumei impacted the younger warrior, a warrior he recognized as Ershum with enough force to knock the warrior from his feet. Laz'dumei remembered carving toys for Ershum not too many years before, when Laz'dumei was Ershum's age. The two collided and moved as a single mass, each trying to wrestle a lethal blow in, but the best that either could get was to get a small streak of the fluorescent pollen on eachother's arms. Ershum was good though, the roll continued and as he rolled across his back Ershum used Laz'dumei's momentum to propel him away with his strong legs.

Laz'dumei twisted in the air to land on his feet. Ershum kicked his legs and landed with both feet on the ground. As he moved he grabbed the staff in one hand and twirled it about himself in a fanciful flourish. Laz'dumei smirked, the fool was showboating now. He had gotten cocky. Good.

Laz'dumei lunged forward, closing the distance between the two of them. Ershum thrust the staff's painted end at Laz'dumei's torso, easily dodged as Laz'dumei turned sideways and arked his back over the staff. Using his weight to force the staff out of Ershum's hand, Laz'dumei's legs whipped up and connected with Ershum's jaw. There was a sickening crunch as the young man's jaw broke. He fell to his knees, grasping at his jaws, but did not cry out. Laz'dumei was surprised at that, ones as young as him would usually tear up or wail as a bone crunched beneath their skin, but not Ershum. Laz'dumei was swift, he cut his Tambi knife across the man's braid. Were it a true blade the younger man would lose his connection to his senses and be little more than a shell of a Na'vi.

It was considered a lethal blow, a very cruel one, were it a real wound. Here all that mattered was Ershum was defeated and Laz'dumei continued to fight the other young men in the forest.

Laz'dumei crouched next to his opponent, and looked him in the eyes, he whispered to the young man, "You fought well brother. Will you be well enough to seek help?" Laz'dumei gestured at his own jaw, signaling what he meant to the other warrior. Ershum nodded and stood, patting Laz'dumei on the back as he strode into the trees.

As far as Laz'dumei was concerned, Ershum was a twitching corpse at his feet now. He sheathed his knife and picked up Ershum's Tambi staff that was meant to be used as a spear. He walked slowly backwards in a crouch back into the shadows. Others will have heard that confrontation and would be coming. The more that came the more tired Laz'dumei would become. Mak'Rud'Domin was cruel that way, it fed off your abilities and replenished none of them as time passed. Men had different strategies. Some said the cowards would stay hidden and attack from the shadows, but it was often the cowards that lost those confrontations. Laz'dumei knew a true warrior used stealth to make up for the weaknesses in their strength and skill. They would say nothing when he was chief about cowardice.

Laz'dumei ducked back into the shadows and waited for the next warrior to come to him.

-

-

Neytiri rode her Ikran above the forest where the Mak'Rud'Domin took place, her eyes scanned for the various confrontations and wins. While the dew still sat in the gentle cup of the plants, the men had dispersed into the forest, parting ways and wishing one another luck, all hoping they would be the victor, that they would be the chieftain. It was a position Jake had not necessarily wanted, but he had been willing to take it, to enter the trials to become leader. Neytiri had seen him fight Tsu'tey, the skills the sky people learned for hand to hand combat was almost as terrifying as their control over fire and gas and metal.

Not all sky people were like that, but some of the sky people acted more like a finely honed weapon rather that a person with emotions and feelings. Jake did too at times, but he had found a balance, he had managed to become a weapon, but stay human, stay Na'vi. She smiled as her Ikran glided through the air, somehow Jake, no matter where he was, always made her smile. He was so much like a child, but yet so much more than any man she had ever met. He truly was a pure spirit, just as Eywa had shown her.

She saw Mo'at, her mother, helping Ershum with something. That young man was like steel, he had stolen many kisses from the girls of the Omaticaya, but had not claimed a mate when he became a man. Since his youth he had become more serious, he had lost that fun loving side of him. He was a good warrior, he would make a good leader.

Even from this distance, Neytiri could see the green fluorescent pollen on his brain.

Unfortunately, he was not good enough.

The canopy obscured much from her view, but she could see some of the men fighting, others lurking, and still others hiding, waiting for their moment. She didn't see Laz'dumei anywhere, in her heart of hearts she hoped that horrid Na'vi was already out. From what she had seen when he fought Tsu'tey though, that was very unlikely.

Neytiri sighed and turned her Ikran to circle around the field of battle once more.

-

-

Dr. Norm Spellman sat at his desk, a few days growth of beard on his face. The humans had many things on the base. Guns, oxygen tanks, beds, yet none of it was any use. Jake hadn't reported to him in nearly a day, the Na'vi would not acknowledge the humans whenever they explored out past the borders of the compound. He gazed at a list of supplies they had stored all over the place on his handheld data pad. He scrolled through it for the hundredth time that day, reading each thing off to himself.

They had not been able to salvage much from the bodies Jake had found and Norm had brought in. Max was very little help in that he had to constantly monitor the growth of over fifty avatars. The science team of Dr. Grace Augustine had stayed behind, everyone of them, because they had fallen in love with Pandora. However, just as the security officers had promised, Pandora seemed to want to kill them. Norm knew this wasn't true, but bitter thoughts frequented ones mind when their assessments are constantly coming up short.

At the rate things were going the Avatars would take longer to grow than first anticipated, the food would run out sooner than they thought. The only thing that was growing were the plants of Pandora, and the human's couldn't eat those. They actually had an abundance of the strange fruits and vegetables.

Norm chuckled to himself as he read the stockpile of something they had called Kreats, orange little fruits that resembled the look of an ice cream cone, but when eaten had an extremely bitter flavor. Two thousand Kreats. And they were useless, "Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink…" He put the data pad down and rubbed his tired eyes. So many useless resources. At least if they got to the point of having their avatars they would be able to feed the avatars.

Feed the avatars.

The way they had been growing the avatar bodies from the denucleated embryos of humans and the injection of the hybrid DNA had worked flawlessly. Their growth was accelerated using chemicals to tone muscles and stimulate growth. That is to say that even though Jake's body looked like a young man in relative terms to the Na'vi, it was actually only six. They had lost of the growth hormone for making Avatars, but they severely lacked the nutrients to establish a functioning body.

Norms avatar was only in a fetal stage, as was Max's and all the others that they had begun to grow. There were some avatar bodies left behind, but the drivers had either left for earth or did not make it through the battle. Only two remained, they were the ones that cultivated the fruits and vegetables, trying to find a new food source that humans could eat.

Feed that avatars…

Norm's eyes snapped open, "Holy Hell."

-

-

Max was watching over the growth of his own avatar at the time when Norm bolted into the room pushing a giant cart of Kreats before him.

"Norm what are you doing?" Max said, slightly frantic, he didn't like that bulky cart in here with so much sensitive equipment. Norm pushed the cart to the side. Max winced as he heard a datapad crunch, "Dude! What the hell!?"

"Kreats." Norm said.

"Yea, I can see!" Max yelled back, "A big heaping loaf of useless Kreats!"

"No, not useless Max," Norm answered, his eyes were wide, amazed at his own ideas. He looked like he had lost it, "We had to feed the avatars."

Yep, Norm lost it, call the looney house, get him a white coat with those shiny little buckles, "Norm," Max said, turning him back towards the door, "You've been pushing yourself really hard, its been trying on all of us, I think you need a break."

Norm looked dismayed, shaken, "Yea a break would be nice…"

"Yea, you go take a nap," Max said, rubbing his friends shoulders, trying to sooth his mind.

"…after you listen to my solution." Norm perked right back up. Max felt played.

"Fine," Max threw his hands up in frustration, "What is your miraculous solution? Feed the avatars?"

"Exactly!" Norm said excitedly, "The reaction as it is right now has micro organisms constructing the avatar from scratch along with the natural development of the embryo. We double the growth hormone."

"It's already been doubled Norm." Max said sternly.

"No, no, we do it again, twice as much as twice as much. Maybe even three times." Max's eyes widened, gaining and understanding. Norm continued, "The effect of the hormone has been proven not to be multiplicative, but exponential. What would take six years will take three with twice the hormone, add another dose and your down to one and a half, another dose puts the time at three quarters of a year! Nine months! Nine months from embryo to fully grown."

"Norm, that's fantastic, but we don't have nearly enough of the hormone mixes to give that many injections to all fifty three avatars! Some are going to be left out to dry and die. Who is going to volunteer for that?"

"That's just the thing! Nobody is going to have to die like that, no one has to volunteer themselves for death." Norm swallowed swiftly, "The micro organisms, we make a few cultures of them, using them as bacteria. We alter their genome so that it contains the code to produce the growth hormone. We use that culture to harvest the hormone and use it, we will have an unlimited supply."

"Are there enough cultures and gells for that?" Max asked, his mind was following Norm's easy enough, the ideas sounded kind of radical.

"Plenty, the only question is providing nutrient for the microorganisms, which we have already proven that they can break down the Kreats and use them as food." Norm shook Max excitedly, " Then what's left in the equation Max, tell me." The crazed scientist demanded of his friend.

"Nutrients for a growing body," Max uttered, shocked.

"And how do we solve that?" Norm led his mind down the same path that Norm had gone along himself.

"We feed the avatars." Max whispered.

"We feed the mother-fucking, blaspheming to our Lord Jesus Christ, fly-bitten, savage, blue monkey avatars!" Norm screamed in excitement, as though those words provided his salvation, which in all truth, they did, "We dissolve the Kreats and whatever other vegetables and fruits we have like we have the meat and bone of the various creatures and we use a syringe to inject it directly into the developing digestive system of the avatar."

"You're a fucking genius, Norm," Max said, his mind still working through the solution, trying to find a catch, "Grade A fucking genius."

Norm bowed low, "Grace always said I had a brilliant mind but my application stank. Thank goodness we got over fifty other scientists here to help us out with that!"

_

_

Laz'dumei felt his nose crunch as Remo'se's elbow contacted his face. Laz'dumei hissed as he recoiled from the blow. He felt the warm blood trickle down over his upper lip and into his mouth. He didn't doubt that his opponent had just broken his nose. Laz'dumei cracked it back into place, only wincing at the pain. Remo'se was one of the few warriors left. Laz'dumei had cut twenty down and had turned to aggression rather than stealth. He had heard a fight taking place further north and was headed that direction when Remo'se leapt out at him from the shadows. He knew there had to be at least one other than his current foe.

Laz'dumei straightened and dropped the Tambi spear he had used to defend himself against Remo'se's onslaught with a knife. He took the Tambi knife from the sheath at his chest and took another from a sheath strapped to his leg. He had procured that one from an opponent he had knocked unconscious and had to be dragged from the field of battle. He held a knife in each hand so that the blade protruded from the bottom of his hand and the pointed hilt rose above his thumbs. Laz'dumei spit the blood from his mouth and assumed a defensive stance, putting the blades between him and his opponent.

Remo'se was running out of breath, he heaved from the fights he had been a part of. His body was covered in a sheen of sweat. The warrior was dangerously close to over exerting himself. A true warrior must know his own limits so he can push them to improve. Remo'se had pushed too hard.

LAz'dumei feinted left, then bolted right. Remo'se's tired eyes followed him, not baited into a fight, but maintaining a strong position. As Laz'dumei closed the distance and got within striking distance, he made a bold move. He threw his Tambi knife directly for Remo'se's heart. Remo'se's eyes widened as he saw the action, and he dodged to his left, twisting out of the way and into the thrusting blade in Laz'dumei's right hand. The impact of the Tambi knife into flesh knocked Remo'se back a few steps before he fell from his feet. He wiped the point of impact and cursed when it came away colored with green fluorescent dye.

Remo'se stood and bowed to Laz'dumei before loping away from the battlefield.

Laz'dumei smiled, it would be over soon and he wasn't even nearing exertion. He still felt fresh. He tried to refocus himself with the forest as he looked for his next opponent. He had been like a spider, waiting for his prey, but now he felt more like a Toruk, diving down on his opponents as they could do nothing but die by his hands.

He heard the soft twang of a string instrument. Laz'dumei dropped to the forest floor without thinking and rolled to cover. A blunt tipped arrow passed through the air right where he had been standing. Clever.

Laz'dumei took cover behind a tree. He poked his head out to scan the forest. Another blunt arrow came flying at him, bouncing off the bark next to Laz'dumei's head. He heard a distant curse. Laz'dumei now knew where his opponent was. He bolted to a tree closer to his foe taking cover in it. The foe darted to an area that was open so he could clearly watch Laz'dumei's advance.

Laz'dumei could see the bow. He had never seen a Tambi bow before. It looked freshly made. His foe had taken a fresh piece of wood and carved it clumsily and strung it with a braid of his own hair. It was poorly made, but it gave him a great advantage on the field. As his opponent knocked another clumsily carved arrow, dipped in fluorescent pollen, Laz'dumei darted once again.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a second opponent pop out at him. He brandished a Tambi spear, but Laz'dumei caught its end and threw it from him, causing the opponent to twirl into the open. The arrow from the contestant further away caught the Na'vi in the chest. Laz'dumei twisted the disqualified Na'vi's arm behind his back, twisting his wrist to force him to drop the spear. Laz'dumei took his arms and looped them through his victims arms and force the man forward. He used the 'corpse' of his fallen foe as a human shield as his shield screamed to be let go.

Laz'dumei shoved the corpse over the bowman, but the bowman dodged, whipping his bow like a staff to strike Laz'dumei. It connected and Laz'dumei went with the momentum of the blow. His mouth filled with blood as he spun and twirled to face his opponent. Already he had a new arrow knocked. He pulled and let it fly. Laz'dumei held his breath, there was no way he could dodge.

Laz'dumei's hands closed around the crude arrow. He couldn't dodge it, so he caught it. Cursing, his opponent lunged, once again using his bow as a club. He swung a wide ark to get the most force in the blow. It was easily dodged by ducking beneath the swing. Laz'dumei took out his foe's legs with a sweeping kick and stabbed the arrow he caught into the man's forehead.

"Creative work with the bow, Eytuk." Neytiri's older brother. To call him brother was being generous. Before Eytukan had been a chieftain he had another wife, a woman now dead, but her offspring survived her well enough. He was not little either, his bulk towered over most Na'vi by at least a head. He wasn't lanky as was the norm with Na'vi. He was a mass of rippling muscle that felt more called to sit quietly than cause fights. Laz'dumei was surprised he had made it this far. Some took his silence for idiocy, but Laz'dumei reserved his judgement. This little stunt showed ingenuity. As chieftain he could use that.

Mo'at emerged from the brush where she had watched out of the way. The cry of an Ikran sounded out as Neytiri's mount descended through the canopy. It landed letting up a puff of dust, and she leapt from its back. The two Tsahiks, mother and daughter stood before their new chieftain.

Mo'at frowned at Laz'dumei, "The trials have finished, there is no more who stand before you in defiance. Your might has been acknowledged and your skill praised. You are our chieftain, you, Laz'dumei, are chief of the Omaticaya."

"As Chieftain you are reborn once more, you are no longer a child, and you are more than a Na'vi, you are the head of the great body that is the Omaticaya. Since you have no mate you need not shed her, and as chieftain you may take any woman to your bed and she shall go gladly." The fear was evident in her voice, she feared he would pick her though she was mated. Since Jake had been cast out he no longer counted in the politics of the Omaticaya, he was no longer mated to Neytiri. She was Tsahik, unbound, and he was the new chieftain.

"Noble Tsahiks," Laz'dumei bowed, "This mantle is heavy, but to take it shall make my people's burden lighter. I will lead us into the dangers of the world and I will protect all to the best I can."

Mo'at put the headdress of the chieftain atop his head, the bone carving hanging right above his brow. The feathers making it appear as though he had a mane. It was heavier than he had thought, but he bore it with pride.

Laz'dumei leveled his gaze at Neytiri, "Come, my Tsahik, let us return to our people and celebrate." Laz'dumei saw Neytiri's jaws tighten, her mouth curved into a sour frown. How he used the possessive phrase indicated he had chosen to take her as his mate. She turned from him and stalked ahead of him and her mother.

Mo'at stared icy daggers at Laz'dumei, "I am not pleased, chieftain."

"Mo'at," Laz'dumei huffed, "I don't care." He walked after his new mate.

-

-

Jake stalked through the rumbling stone halls that towered over his head. There were thousands of passages along the twisting corkscrew ramp that led back to the surface. He explored some, but soon returned to the central structure, beckoned continuously downward by the glowing purple light beneath him. The world rumbled around him as he explored, dust and flakes of rock coated him as the caverns shook.

Jake continued his descent, thoughts lost to the trance of that strong purple light. It reminded him of the tree of souls so much, yet its pull was so much stronger than any he had felt in the Hallelujah Mountains as he gazed at that brilliant white tree. When he finally reached the bottom he was surprised to find the floor of the cavern was made of sand. Pristine white sand stained purple by the outpouring of light from the tree before him. Its leaves were much like that of the Tree of Souls, except these draped upwards, as if defying gravity.

Jake fell to his knees in awe of the beauty. The feeling that washed over him was similar to that he felt in the presence of the Tree of Souls. A deep connection with the world around him, a feeling of unity so intimate that he felt each grain of dirt shift as he moved, each eddy of air swirl about him, heard each and every cry of the forest. He felt these things that he had felt when in the presence of the Tree of Souls and he felt something more. There was something here that delved much deeper into the nature of what he had come to recognize as Eywa.

Jake stood on weak knees, this beautiful being before, something not quite a plant but not quite a living entity. He stepped into the sand, the fine grains slipping between his toes and sticking to his skin in a way that he had not felt in years. He was reminded of the first sensations he had felt as a Na'vi, in the garden on the human compound where he felt the dirt beneath his feet after so agonizingly long. The tree was so beautiful, he didn't even feel the first bite.

He felt the second though, snapped from a trance like a patient jerking awake after surgery; drowsily, groggily, but so beautifully aware. The sand moved in ridges around him, arcing about him, towards him, disappearing and reappearing in random movements. His foot bled out onto the sand, the small wound bleeding profusely but not enough to worry any. Still, more of those types of wounds would be poor for his health. He unstrapped the pistol from his waist, holding it between him, he turned to each new arc of sand that flowed so freely and backed away towards where the stone had ended and sand had begun.

Like tiny whips beneath the sand the ridges moved swiftly, tasting at the blood but never going directly through it. The trail of red fluid he left across the pristine sand showed black against the stained grains. One arc wove back and forth towards him. Jake's mind focused on that singular arc in its approach. He had no interest in being struck again by the tiny thing. In his mind there was nothing but the strange creature beneath the sands and its approach, he blocked all the tremors of the earth from his mind. Out of the sand the head of the creature poked, it was a tiny version of the great beast he had seen above the ground.

That face split in six directions, the strange eyes and rows of teeth, the plated body of bone, all were the same as that great wyrm but on such a small scale by comparison. Jake's finger twitched on the trigger but it was stayed before enough pressure could be engaged to shoot the pistol. The amount of muscle control a mixture of both marine and Na'vi training. He just began to notice the seeds of the sacred tree floating in the air, his finger had been stayed by the delicate presence of one of those seeds landing on the sight of his pistol. His eyes focused on this.

Neytiri had described the first time she saw him several times, how her arrow had been halted by the presence of a seed very much like this. He also noted that a seed floated around the head of the tiny wrym where it weaved its body back and forth in the sand.

"What are you, little thing?" Jake knelt, keeping his pistol ready. Just because some seed landed on his gun didn't mean he was about to drop his defenses, if that wyrm lunged it would find its body parts scattered across the sand, but he would give it a fighting chance as Eywa had given him through his mate, through Neytiri.

The tiny wyrm turned its head to the side at Jake's words, not understanding. Then Jake repeated himself in the words of the Na'vi. No response. Jake shook his head and stood, the wyrm arced up higher. Jake could see that it's body was long, much longer than he had thought. Other wyrms poked their bodies out of the fine grains of sand that they swam in so easily. Jake felt the knot in his stomach tighten as they emerged, taking a step back and raising the gun a little higher. But the others did not move offensively, rather, in unison all the emerged worms, bowed their 'heads' at him simultaneously and made a path for him towards the tree. The one directly in front of him wiggled its body out of the sand, it's whole body.

Except what Jake saw baffled him, it didn't connect with what he knew. The body of the wyrm ended suddenly as it touched the tree. It was as though this wyrm and that beautiful tree had somehow melded into one being. It was as if…the tree was the wyrms and the wyrms were the tree. This epiphany of Jake Sully's was followed swiftly by another. The giant wyrm, if it was of the same breed as these must have been part of one giant fucking tree.

Jake was hesitant to cross the sands to the trunk of the tree but he did so, it seemed to call to him, to beckon him forth to its embrace. In the back of his mind he thought that this may just be some carnivorous plant of Pandora that would devour him as he approached, there were plenty of strange creatures on this planet, why not a tree wyrm combo? But the wyrms did not attack, they only followed. Jake looked up at the magnificent limbs of the tree, caught floating in some upward force that Jake could not feel. He ran his hands along the trunk. This tree was beautiful, he felt so connected to his Mother.

He reached out for his braid, that beautiful cord of neurons that gave him such an intimate bond to all the living things of Pandora. With it in his hand he tried to find something to bind it to on the tree but found nothing. He felt like trying to connect a VCR to a Microwave. The electronics were just not compatible.

He felt a wyrm wrap around his arm, he was startled at first, but as it emerged he saw that the creature had its mouth open wide, the six uneven portions of its jaw peeled back against its body, it's teeth on the side. In them Jake saw the ever familiar neural cords that he could join with. Smiling he held the nerve cord out to the wyrm, the neurons wove together of their own accord, an action almost deeper than instinct and Jake's world went white.

-

-

Laz'dumei stood outside the celebration of the Omaticaya. The forest shadows surrounded him as he pondered his actions. In the Omaticaya the chief's word was final, but if there were two Tsahiks they could over rule him simply because they had numbers. Each Tsahik had a fraction of the authority of a chieftain, together their influence outweighed the influence of the Chieftain. This is why the Omaticaya had chosen to make their Tsahik and Chieftain mate. That way their concerns for the people could be talked about in both formal and informal ways.

So, at the end of this, he needed to be sure there was only one Tsahik. That was why he stood on the fringes of the celebration, all were lost to the celebration,, they would not be able to recall his actions during them, or rather his absence, because too much was going on. If they saw what he was about to do they would remember, and probably kill him too. The slaying of a Tsahik would be as awful as the loss of a chieftain, if not worse. The Tsahik was their connection to Eywa, their forest deity. On the fringes he could watch Mo'at without being suspicious, wait until she moved to be by herself to pray, or to relieve herself.

The night was coming to a close before his chance presented itself. She walked away from the saddened Neytiri who was being forced to celebrate the raising of Laz'dumei to chieftain by the sheer fact she was now his mate, despite her wishes. Neytiri turned back and spoke with another Na'vi, a forced smile on her face a Mo'at disappeared into the shadows. Laz'dumei followed.

Neytiri's Woe VI – Sins

****Note 1: This story takes place after Avatar the movie, if you have not seen it do not read this for there are spoilers in it and I do not want to ruin the movie for anyone.****

****Note 2: I watched the movie again, so good, and I realized I have been using Toruk Makto in the wrong way. Previously I have assumed that Makto was the great leonopteryx…the big red bird…but it is actually Toruk. Makto I guess means 'rider of' and Toruk is the Last shadow. Sorry for the incorrect usage I hope I did not confuse anyone, from this point on I shall use it properly****

****Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, nor any of James Cameron's creations. The only thing I claim is this story line idea and all ideas that can be claimed as new to this story only (aka Laz'dumei, Pinrah, the wyrm creature)****

Jake stalked through the rumbling stone halls that towered over his head. There were thousands of passages along the twisting corkscrew ramp that led back to the surface. He explored some, but soon returned to the central structure, beckoned continuously downward by the glowing purple light beneath him. The world rumbled around him as he explored, dust and flakes of rock coated him as the caverns shook.

Jake continued his descent, thoughts lost to the trance of that strong purple light. It reminded him of the tree of souls so much, yet its pull was so much stronger than any he had felt in the Hallelujah Mountains as he gazed at that brilliant white tree. When he finally reached the bottom he was surprised to find the floor of the cavern was made of sand. Pristine white sand stained purple by the outpouring of light from the tree before him. Its leaves were much like that of the Tree of Souls, except these draped upwards, as if defying gravity.

Jake fell to his knees in awe of the beauty. The feeling that washed over him was similar to that he felt in the presence of the Tree of Souls. A deep connection with the world around him, a feeling of unity so intimate that he felt each grain of dirt shift as he moved, each eddy of air swirl about him, heard each and every cry of the forest. He felt these things that he had felt when in the presence of the Tree of Souls and he felt something more. There was something here that delved much deeper into the nature of what he had come to recognize as Eywa.

Jake stood on weak knees, this beautiful being before, something not quite a plant but not quite a living entity. He stepped into the sand, the fine grains slipping between his toes and sticking to his skin in a way that he had not felt in years. He was reminded of the first sensations he had felt as a Na'vi, in the garden on the human compound where he felt the dirt beneath his feet after so agonizingly long. The tree was so beautiful; he didn't even feel the first bite.

He felt the second though, snapped from a trance like a patient jerking awake after surgery; drowsily, groggily, but so beautifully aware. The sand moved in ridges around him, arcing about him, towards him, disappearing and reappearing in random movements. His foot bled out onto the sand, the small wound bleeding profusely but not enough to worry any. Still, more of those types of wounds would be poor for his health. He unstrapped the pistol from his waist, holding it between him, he turned to each new arc of sand that flowed so freely and backed away towards where the stone had ended and sand had begun.

Like tiny whips beneath the sand the ridges moved swiftly, tasting at the blood but never going directly through it. The trail of red fluid he left across the pristine sand showed black against the stained grains. One arc wove back and forth towards him. Jake's mind focused on that singular arc in its approach. He had no interest in being struck again by the tiny thing. In his mind there was nothing but the strange creature beneath the sands and its approach, he blocked all the tremors of the earth from his mind. Out of the sand the head of the creature poked, it was a tiny version of the great beast he had seen above the ground.

That face split in six directions, the strange eyes and rows of teeth, the plated body of bone, all were the same as that great wyrm but on such a small scale by comparison. Jake's finger twitched on the trigger but it was stayed before enough pressure could be engaged to shoot the pistol. The amount of muscle control Jake had over his finger a result of both marine and Na'vi training. He just began to notice the seeds of the sacred tree floating in the air; his finger had been stayed by the delicate presence of one of those seeds landing on the sight of his pistol. His eyes focused on this.

Neytiri had described the first time she saw him several times, how her arrow had been halted by the presence of a seed very much like this. He also noted that a seed floated around the head of the tiny wrym where it weaved its body back and forth in the sand.

"What are you, little thing?" Jake knelt, keeping his pistol ready. Just because some seed landed on his gun didn't mean he was about to drop his defenses, if that wyrm lunged it would find its body parts scattered across the sand, but he would give it a fighting chance as Eywa had given him through his mate, through Neytiri.

The tiny wyrm turned its head to the side at Jake's words, not understanding. Then Jake repeated himself in the words of the Na'vi. No response. Jake shook his head and stood, the wyrm arced up higher. Jake could see that its body was long, much longer than he had thought. Other wyrms poked their bodies out of the fine grains of sand that they swam in so easily. Jake felt the knot in his stomach tighten as they emerged, taking a step back and raising the gun a little higher. But the others did not move offensively, rather, in unison all the emerged worms, bowed their 'heads' at him simultaneously and made a path for him towards the tree. The one directly in front of him wiggled its body out of the sand, its whole body.

Except what Jake saw baffled him, it didn't connect with what he knew. The body of the wyrm ended suddenly as it touched the tree. It was as though this wyrm and that beautiful tree had somehow melded into one being. It was as if…the tree was the wyrms and the wyrms were the tree. This epiphany of Jake Sully's was followed swiftly by another. The giant wyrm, if it was of the same breed as these must have been part of one giant fucking tree.

Jake was hesitant to cross the sands to the trunk of the tree but he did so, it seemed to call to him, to beckon him forth to its embrace. In the back of his mind he thought that this may just be some carnivorous plant of Pandora that would devour him as he approached, there were plenty of strange creatures on this planet, why not a tree wyrm combo? But the wyrms did not attack, they only followed. Jake looked up at the magnificent limbs of the tree, caught floating in some upward force that Jake could not feel. He ran his hands along the trunk. This tree was beautiful, he felt so connected to his Mother.

He reached out for his braid, that beautiful cord of neurons that gave him such an intimate bond to all the living things of Pandora. With it in his hand he tried to find something to bind it to on the tree but found nothing. He felt like trying to connect a VCR to a Microwave. The electronics were just not compatible.

He felt a wyrm wrap around his arm, he was startled at first, but as it emerged he saw that the creature had its mouth open wide, the six uneven portions of its jaw peeled back against its body, its teeth on the side. In them Jake saw the ever familiar neural cords that he could join with. Smiling he held the nerve cord out to the wyrm, the neurons wove together of their own accord, an action almost deeper than instinct and Jake's world went white.

-

-

Laz'dumei stood outside the celebration of the Omaticaya. The forest shadows surrounded him as he pondered his actions. In the Omaticaya the chief's word was final, but if there were two Tsahiks they could over rule him simply because they had numbers. Each Tsahik had a fraction of the authority of a chieftain; together their influence outweighed the influence of the Chieftain. This is why the Omaticaya had chosen to make their Tsahik and Chieftain mate. That way their concerns for the people could be talked about in both formal and informal ways.

So, at the end of this, he needed to be sure there was only one Tsahik. That was why he stood on the fringes of the celebration, all were lost to the celebration, they would not be able to recall his actions during them, or rather his absence, because too much was going on. If they saw what he was about to do they would remember, and probably kill him too. The slaying of a Tsahik would be as awful as the loss of a chieftain, if not worse. The Tsahik was their connection to Eywa, their forest deity. On the fringes he could watch Mo'at without being suspicious, wait until she moved to be by herself to pray, or to relieve herself.

The night was coming to a close before his chance presented itself. She walked away from the saddened Neytiri who was being forced to celebrate the raising of Laz'dumei to chieftain by the sheer fact she was now his mate, despite her wishes. Neytiri turned back and spoke with another Na'vi, a forced smile on her face a Mo'at disappeared into the shadows. Laz'dumei followed.

The Na'vi trained themselves to hunt silently in the forest of Pandora, they were raised not to make a single sound as they moved. But unfortunately, as much as this had to be stealthy, it had to be quick to work. He could not return smelling of blood, nor could he leave a body to be examined. The knife made no sound as he pulled it from his sheath.

He saw Mo'at's ears twitch, Laz'dumei held his breath. The elder Na'vi didn't even bother to look back before continuing on, she trusted her safety too much, and Mo'at trusted that no one would want to harm a Tsahik. Laz'dumei was upon her.

He hit her solidly with the hilt of his blade at the base of the neck and she crumpled. He had heard the crunch of bone similar to that he had heard on the battlefield this day. He hadn't noticed his breathing pick up, but he panted now. Laz'dumei was on edge, the feeling in his core was pure excitement. He had never imagined himself as chief before; he had never imagined taking the life of another Na'vi, not to mention the Tsahik. But as he stood over Mo'at's crumpled body, he found he liked it. Yes, he liked it very much. For the next part, he had to rid himself of that Toruk that watched over Neytiri. It did little, but he didn't want it coming to her aid anytime soon. What better way to get rid of a Toruk than to have the beast kill the Tsahik for him?

Laz'dumei grabbed the limp arms of Mo'at and hoisted her onto his back, carrying her to where the Ikran and the lone Toruk sat outside of the makeshift settlement of the Na'vi. Mo'at was a light woman, but her dead weight made stealth difficult, right now he was at his most vulnerable. If any discovered him they would investigate why Mo'at was upon his back. He would claim she had fallen asleep exhausted while in prayer to her departed Eytukan and he was taking her back to her bedding. A noble deed for any chieftain, but the Ikran and Toruk were far from the location of where the Na'vi had set up bedding. If anyone watched him for more than a moment they would become suspicious.

His worries were for naught, it turned out. No Na'vi noticed his presence, nor did they care as to the location of their soon to be deceased Tsahik. The Ikran gave the Toruk a wide berth, they hid in the trees from him, out of sight, and they were asleep. Laz'dumei smiled at his luck, whatever entity there was above was certainly smiling on him lately, of course Laz'dumei was always of the mind that the gods seemed to help those who were prepared and helped themselves. Any Ikran that saw him would have the memory and any hunter that made the bond with their Ikran would have access to that memory. But he could tell none saw him, for he saw none of them.

The Toruk shuffled its wings at being disturbed; it looked down on Laz'dumei with the disdain of a predator now finding itself on a very short leash of a master that wasn't even present. He had not seen the Toruk take a meal, but knew it was used to devouring, well, anything. Laz'dumei laid the Tsahik before the Toruk with reverence, bowing to the great beast in supplication. There was a whimper from Mo'at, but she was still unconscious. If she wasn't, Laz'dumei would just brain her again. He reached for a bone not far from the Toruk, a trophy from a previous meal. Sharp edges protruding from where the Toruk had snapped the bone to get at the marrow, Laz'dumei looked at the makeshift weapon with glee.

"I've never been one for praying, Mo'at," Laz'dumei whispered, "But I do thank you for the gift you have given me and how much easier it will make my life with your death." He plunged the bone into her core. Warm blood spilled forth, the temptation of it would be too great for the Toruk, and he would devour her. Laz'dumei lunged back as the blood spurted forth, dodging the droplets of blood as they glistened. The great beast roared, its cry piercing the night like the bone through Mo'at. Laz'dumei bolted back towards the celebration, but off to the side, as stealthily as possible. He would let the hunters pass him on their way to investigate, then come later. By then it would be too late to save Mo'at, she would be devoured.

Everything seemed to be going his way.

Laz'dumei hid in the trees as Neytiri raced past among a troop of hunters. He was soon on their heels, ready to pretend, to act.

-

-

Neytiri bolted through the forest, not taking care to be quiet like some of the hunters, but they moved together, like a pack of viperdogs, or thanoteres. They emerged in the nesting ground of the Toruk and the Ikran, her beloved's great beast was feeding on something. The hunters scanned the forest around them but they could find no reason for why the beast cried.

Neytiri focused on what the Toruk had gotten, it had never fed in the presence of the Ikran because it usually caught wild Ikran or Viperwolves to feed on. She approached as it tore a broken limb from something that appeared…Neytiri put hand to her mouth, she wanted to look away, but could not. The Toruk was eating a Na'vi.

The hunters got closer, holding bows knocked to defend themselves. Neytiri walked forward too, looking for the victims face. The face se could not find, nor the head for that matter. It was a woman, from the wreckage that had begun as a torso she could figure that much out. The meat of the body was shredded by teeth, gore spilling out onto the dirt beneath the canopy. The two remaining limbs, an arm and a leg bent at odd angles, broken and disjointed from the torso, not fully connected either. The body was being disassembled like a puzzle to never be put together again.

Nothing on the body gave away the identity. It was the remains of the headdress that her mother had worn that gave it away as the corpse of Mo'at. Neytiri felt this realization hit her as tough it was the hallelujah mountains crashing down upon her. Neytiri had already been wounded by the banishment of Jake that had left her heart cut open and bleeding. This, this atrocity had cut a jagged hole in her core and pulled her heart out through it; pulled her soul through it slicing it in ways that Neytiri never knew. In all the world she had ever known her mother had been there waiting for her return; waiting to teach her, to admonish her, to punish her. No longer would she know her mother's embrace, no longer would she be able to trust in her mother's wisdom, all that was left was her own mind.

Neytiri fell to the floor of the nesting area, the Toruk watched her, it recognized her, and it appeared to be happy at her presence. An old friend returned after time away from home. It did not know it was doing wrong. It only saw food. Neytiri watched as it devoured her mother's other leg, tearing the limb from the torso and pulling the muscle and bone apart. She wept for her mother, and she wept for her beloved's Toruk. He had tamed the beast, what had caused it to kill her mother, the Tsahik of the Omaticaya?

Laz'dumei stood next to her, his face was hard and unmerciful. Neytiri saw the rage in his eyes, but she saw something else in those golden orbs, could it be joy? He turned his back on her as she looked up to him, completely destroyed from her core outwards, "Kill it." He commanded the hunters.

The cries of the Toruk matched the wails of Neytiri as it passed into Eywa's embrace. It's body riddled with arrows. Finally, after the hunters had left, Neytiri stood alone over the corpse of both her mother and the Toruk. She would have traded her life for either of the deaths they underwent. That would have been a far less cruel fate. Her tears watered the plants of the nesting ground, her sorrow was forever a part of this land, as was the blood of her mother and the blood of the Toruk.

The celebration had stopped in the distance, Neytiri finally found the strength to return to her people.

-

-

"Jake Sully." It said, except it wasn't right, the pronunciation was both right and wrong at the same time. It was a strange thing to try and comprehend. It sounded halfway between what Mo'at used to call him and what Grace Augustine would say to him, that way she used to say his name that entailed both endearment and insult. With that word the world that had turned white went black.

Out of the blackness, the darkness he saw the luminescence of plants of Pandora and the illuminated street signs of earth.

Again his voice was spoken, "Jake Sully, idiot marine and mate of my daughter." The voices were two, yet more, and one in its unity. This voice was all things.

"That's me," Jake said, his mind was becoming aware of his own body once again. He could feel his neck, his arms and legs, but he could feel nothing beyond that. He thought he had been in a sandbox full of worms, wriggling beneath the sand. And there had been a tree. The memory came flying back to him. It wasn't worms, but wyrms…those strange creatures that were part of the tree, the tree that had so amazed him, "Who are you?" he called to the illuminated darkness. Wet asphalt splashed with the light of glowing mushrooms.

"I?" the voices coalesced, "You assume that we are an 'I'? How little you know." The voices had gone beyond Grace and Mo'at. The voice was more than feminine. It contained male voices too. But not just men, and women, no there were the high pitched squeaks of children, their joyous laughter mixed in with the slow steady speak of the elderly and their coughing laughs. He felt as if his mind would break from the strain of trying to understand it.

Jake winced at the voices, they hurt his head, "Teach me then."

"As Mo'at has told you, it is hard to fill a cup which is full."

"And as I told her, my cup is empty, just ask Grace, Eywa." Jake placed the entity with which he spoke. The laughter that was both young and old, man and woman, Grace and Mo'at, picked up again, "That is your name, isn't it?"

"To some," The voices were steady now, they stopped oscillating, which eased the ache in Jake's brain, "Your understanding grows, your mind expands. Interesting. Your cup is full of much, yet you can be filled more. Your brain expands to fit that which is poured in. I was right to wait for you."

"Y-you were waiting for me?" Jake said, disbelief fully apparent in his words, but on a deeper level, he knew it to be true, "Yes, you were."

"Yes," The voice that he identified as Eywa spoke, "Open your mind to me and I shall pour into you the knowledge that I have gained in my short life, which must seem so terribly long to your kind."

Jake did as he was told, he opened his mind to this grand creature that had bonded with him. And his mind was filled with understanding. The tree of souls was just the beginning of this creature's power. It crossed the stars to many worlds, not just Pandora, and each world was filled with life as diverse and beautiful as this world was. He asked many questions of the entity known to him as Eywa, and all were answered. Time flowed like water. He learned the nature of the worms and the tree of souls to their full extent. He learned the place of the Na'vi upon Pandora. He found the place that humans had once held, and had fallen from. And with the help of Jake would be returned to.

"Jakesully," Eywa said to her child, born of two worlds, "Can you take this mantle upon yourself. Knowing what you know now, can you travel to the worlds which I will open to you and see the wonders which I offer you? Beasts that fly through the black of space or creatures that dig through dirt and the fabric of reality as though they were the same, all of these would be at your command if you join with the true me, and not the seedlings. With that power you would be able to do so much for not just the ones you love but the ones that have yet to be."

-

-

It had been two whole weeks since Jake had left to find a new Hometree for his people and Neytiri's world had been shattered around her. She had once stood proud and tall of her decision, but now she walked the world in a daze, her eyes glassed, her heart hollow. Laz'dumei had taken his seat as chieftain and had proven to do well for the people. He led the hunts and cared for child and elderly according to their needs. He left none to be ignored and saw to each need of his people. But that was what he was like with his people, not with his mate.

They had their own quarters, covered with a tent made of leaves that was off a ways from the people. It sat among the canopy high in the trees so that Laz'dumei could watch over his people and they not watch over him.

He spoke with Neytiri harshly, he insulted her for her choice in mating with Jake. She had stood her ground at first, but as time passed swiftly, each word she said in his defense would be repaid with a swift punishment. The first had been simple, he had punched her in the face, giving her a nose bleed. It had increased in severity until, in their time alone, he beat her mercilessly. He forced her to stay away from the people, claiming she was deep in prayer. Really, she was tied up, hands and feet bound. He had done nothing more than beat her, but her bruises screamed when she moved, her bones were weak. She wasn't receiving the proper nutrition or exercise that her body craved.

"I have been thinking," Laz'dumei spoke from where he sat, his head had been bowed in deep thought for some time, his tail flicking back and forth, "In this time of sorrows, that surely will rival the sorrows of the time of the first songs for our people, we should be a beacon of joy, we should bring smiles to the faces of the Omaticaya."

Neytiri didn't respond. Her wide eyes only looked at her 'mate' with fear. Her split lip quivered as she cried. A gag shoved in her jaw kept her silent.

"You will bear me an heir, a child that will be the joy of the people." Laz'dumei's smile carried in his dark voice. Neytiri felt her innards clench tight with fear. She would fight him every inch of the way to his goal. She would bite at him with her teeth, scratch at him with her hands. But at the moment she was bound, hands and feet tied together, and then hands and feet tied so she could barely move. The flesh around the rope was raw and red from her struggles. Laz'dumei didn't mind the smell of her blood. He beat her senseless and he gave her no care so that she may take care of necessities to the point to which she soiled herself. And then he beat her for that, cleaning her while she twitched in her bonds.

This Na'vi was a monster. She longed for the touch of Jake, for the touch of her beloved.

Laz'dumei stood, night had fallen and none would disturb the Chieftain tonight, he had seen to it before he dragged Neytiri from the place in which he hid her during the day. He lifted her about the waist and carried her as though she was a child, his muscles pronounced as he moved to the area he had marked as their bed with the soft cushioning of leaves. He threw her to the ground and punched solidly in the head.

The world swam about her and she struggled weakly against her bonds. She was the Tsahik of the Omaticaya, warrior to the bone. She fought with the hunters as they sent the sky people back to their blackness beyond the clouds, but here she sat, weakened without food, beaten and bruised. She was vaguely aware that Laz'dumei was undoing her bonds, but he swiftly retied them, delivering another blow to her face to keep her from struggling too much. He bent her legs back and tied her hands once again to her feet. It was almost a fetal position with her hands right behind her knees. Her face and chest were forced into the soft cushioning that was 'her' bedding. She had thought herself out of tears, but they began to flow freely once more.

Laz'dumei seized her tail with enough force to send pain rocketing up her spine. She couldn't see him but he felt his presence behind her, poised to violate her. There was nothing she could do to stop him. It was then that she went numb, it was then that her world went white.

-

-

"Bear your sorrow child," The voices whispered in Neytiri's mind, "Bear your agony, it will end, but not soon." Neytiri's mind listened to the words of Eywa and wept in the world of white, in Jake's arms she wept. She wept out of joy at being with him, even in this world that was not a world, this dream that was not a dream. His arms around her, as ephemeral as they might be, were absolute bliss by comparison to reality.

-

-

Time flowed like water. New entities joined Eywa, some left to be reborn elsewhere, but life was always balanced. Jake saw this, maybe not on this world it was balanced, but when one world struggled or died, another, across a solar system or in another universe thrived. Each and every universe was strange and new, but Jake knew as he watched all this, as he learned, that all this information would only be available to him as long as he was joined with the Mind of Eywa.

Yes, the Mind of Eywa, that was what this tree was. And the other tree, the one that bore the great wyrm as its roots, that was the Heart of Eywa. That tree that existed not only in this dimension but as an axis of all realities, all possibilities, that was its heart. It had been so long since Eywa had spoken to him, and its voice startled him, "Will you bear this mantle? Jakesully? Will you go beyond this world to your homeworld and bring them back to my embrace? Will you bring my influence across the stars of your universe and of all the others? Will you be the messiah of not only your galaxy and universe, but the messiah of all the known universes so that we may once again be united? Will you be united with me for eternity as the true God?"

Jake's mind was full, his heart was heavy, he wanted so badly to please this being that had given him so much, but he was not ready to leave those gifts behind as it wished him to. His voice was soft in the strange world between worlds, "No."

Without warning, Jake Sully stood once more before the tree which he had come to name as the Mind of Eywa, though there were many such trees scattered throughout all of the realities. He was suddenly assailed by a burning in his chest. He fell to his knees, face falling into the sand. The wyrm's about him quirked their heads to the side in questions not spoken. The world was fading to blackness.

"Breathe." Eywa commanded from the void.

Jake obeyed, he took in a gasping breath and sucked sand and air into his lungs. Lungs that had not needed to breathe in nearly a year. He coughed and rose to his hands and knees. His mind felt empty, he had a vague impression of some great knowledge being his, but it was lost now. What he did remember sent chills down his spine. He felt so tiny in the presence of Eywa, he could feel her everywhere from the tiniest micro-organism to the great beasts he had seen through its eyes. Eywa had offered her power to him, but he could not take it.

He wanted to believe that he had rejected the power out of love for Pandora, love for the Na'vi, and for his beloved Neytiri. But that was not the truth, no matter what he wanted it to be. Rather, he turned away from the power because he was frightened by it. No being should have the amount of power at Eywa's control, but that strange deity did. A deity that was both life and death, a part of all realms and all times, yet by what it said, was not the only of its kind or the most powerful entity in reality. Jake had the sensation that he had met God only by the fact that this creature was so powerful yet limited. Jake thinking of god was like staring into space. God was infinite and total, as was the void of space, but it took looking at this grand creature to get an idea of just how great infinity was.

The wyrms hovered around him, they were larger now, some of them anyways, The tree too, the Mind of Eywa was larger, but its leaves still rose upwards in strange glowing lines. Jake rose to his feet unsteadily, the unused muscle protesting after so long. He held a hand to his head and massaged his temples. His hair had grown out again, it was long and existed of more than just a braid, but of loose free falling hair much as it had before he had cut it, before the battle with the sky people. Jake touched his braid, making sure it was still there, but it was different now. Only now did he truly begin to examine his body.

It was like waking up in the Na'vi body for the first time all over again. His braid was covered in something, not necessarily wrapped, but encased. It was a hard shell of plated bone. It looked as though one of the tiny wyrms had become part of him, or rather one had grown around the braided nerve cord and encased it to protect. The end of the nerve cord ended in a six split opening, as the mouth of the creatures did, but there were no eyes, no rows of teeth. Jake played with it, testing it. It was like finding out one suddenly had an extra hand coming off of one's head. His skin had become pale, but was still blue. He had been absent from the sun for a long time.

The nails of his hands were no longer nails, but were more like the claws of a beast, but he still maintained the dexterity that had so long been ingrained in him. His feet were the same too, not ending in toe nails, but in twisted black talons. The tail that hung at his back had a tuft at the end that was bushier than he remembered. He felt new muscles there as he had along the braid cord. It was something that remained relaxed. So he flexed that muscle and was a little more than shocked when a foot long needle of bone protruded from the end of his tail. This needle split as well and became another bunch of those nerve like tentacles.

His senses roared to life, each touch and each sensation was a new level of amazing. Each scent that drafted through this dank and musty cavern had such a large field of interpretation. He could pick out the sickly sweet scent of his own unwashed body. The scent of the wyrms that was vaguely like cinnamon, but contained some new spike of scent he could not place. The tree smelt like rainfall. His eyes saw more, more deeply into the fabric of everything. It was like waking up again.

Jake spoke to the great Eywa, he knew it could hear him, the deity could hear all, "You leave me changed, Mother, to what end?" His mind was flooded with pictures. Eywa dare not speak directly to him once again. He didn't want her to, it might shatter it completely. There was hometree sitting against the dusk, before the sky people had come. Its might and its beauty unparalleled. Then his mind was filled with a blossoming flower. So many images, but they spoke to him in a way his mind could understand. The seed of hometree.

A worm came to him, presenting a tiny little knot of roots to him. More images. This was not the same breed of tree, but it was the type Eywa willed him to grow. It would look the same, but much would be different.

"Will it grow to house my people? Can I restore them to their home, can I return to my mate?" Jake asked the wyrms and the tree. He tucked the knot of roots into the cargo shorts he wore. Images again, they lanced across his mind like a spear through flesh. Blood, the seed needed blood, lots of it and of every kind. Eywa was always about balance. For the life of the seed to flourish, much would have to be sacrificed. Male and female of the great beasts, the Thanoteres, the Toruks, the Viperwolves, the Na'vi; the four creatures that were the representative races of this world. Males to give strength of will and body, females to be the cradle of life and support, both were needed for the unity of nature to be complete and give birth to something much more than both male and female, much more than all four creatures combined.

It demanded so much blood. But it was a balance, a bargain. Nothing is created or destroyed, but becomes part of the whole. Just as Jake was once a part of Eywa, he would return to her again.

Jake began to walk towards the stone, out of the pool of sand where the wyrms had returned to their characteristic swirl through the medium. His feet hit the stone and the images were filling his mind again, parting words from Eywa. He nodded, not heartened by the Mother's words, but moved to leave just the same. He had become more than Na'vi and because of that more had to be required of him and his bloodline. The mother's 'words' rang in his head, it was as if Mo'at spoke to him through the images.

"You are not the messiah," It said to him, "But you have the blood of it. It may not be your child, or your child's child, but in your lifetime one of your descendants shall return here to me and become what you have cast aside."

Jake marched upwards, towards the forest of Pandora, towards his people. He marched to his love, Neytiri.

-

-

It had been a little over a year since Jake had left. Neytiri sat out in the open now, unabused. As soon as Laz'dumei found out she was pregnant he had ceased his beatings. The now pregnant Tsahik, however, still felt as though she was chained. She had been given a degree of freedom, but she didn't go anywhere without her chieftain right beside her. He watched her words and gave her warning glances. At first she had tried to struggle against him, to defeat his will, but the people were blind to his cruelties. They saw only the kind young chief that had the Omaticaya's best wishes in his heart.

Jake had been that way too. He had wanted what was best for all the Na'vi, not just the Omaticaya. The Omaticaya rejected him, why did they except this viper in their midst?

Neytiri both hated and loved the infant in her womb, it was a strange sensation. She had discovered her pregnancy and thought immediately that it was Laz'dumei's, but there was doubt in her mind. Jake had loved her the same month Laz'dumei had forced his love upon her, the gestation period of a Na'vi was long, but it was nearing its end. It would end soon, in fact. When the child gazed up at her she would know then who the father was. By the smile she would tell it. If it was Jake's roguish, foolish, yet completely loving smile, she would protect that baby and hold her little piece of her Jake close to her heart. If it was that sneering smile of cruelty that adorned Laz'dumei's face as he had his way with her on so many nights, he would drop that infant from the highest tree in the forest and celebrate as another conduit of that cursed man's cruelty ended.

Laz'dumei himself had no question in his mind that the baby was his, he had never even begun to consider that it could be jakes child growing in her womb. It was that idea, she prayed 'that fact', that kept her willing to stay alive, willing to fight against the invisible bonds that held her tightly to her side. This was only one thing though, over the past year the dreamwalkers had come to them.

Norm and Max were at the head of the group of about fifty. They begged the help of the Omaticaya in their quest to become full Na'vi. Laz'dumei as the chieftain had refused their pleas. He knew that their human bodies were running out of resources, and quickly, much more quickly now that the avatar bodies were alive once more. Further than rejecting the idea of helping the dreamwalkers and boosting the numbers of the Omaticaya with humans that really cared for Pandora, Laz'dumei threatened them. If they returned they would be shot where they stood.

Neytiri hadn't wept in many months at that point. But she wailed all night long that time and received a bloodied mouth for it. Laz'dumei wouldn't hurt the infant in her belly, but he had no qualms with smacking her around a little. And why should he, she was a traitor to the Na'vi as surely as Jake had been to the humans.

So now Neytiri sat, running her hand along her large stomach, praying that it was Jake's child. Her mind wandered to the presence of her true mate, but she did not spend much time on it. She saw him every night while she slept, she could go away to fantasies then. Now her mind was occupied with more pressing things. Like her water breaking.

-

-

Jake was a little shorter than Norm remembered, but that was probably because Norm could look him in the eye without craning his neck. When Jake had come walking out of the woods onto the 'human' compound Norm had been astounded. They hadn't heard anything from him in months, almost a year he thought, but it was good to see him. He wore a bone headdress that looked to be part of him and his hands and feet had changed slightly. But it was Jake and he was still the Na'vi that Norm remembered. He smiled, he joked, he worried.

"I see you all have solved your problem of the avatars." Jake said, gesturing to the Na'vi bodies around him, "Much, much quicker than you thought, too." He grinned at them, he had missed his friends.

Max patted Norm on the back, "It was all this guy's idea," strangely enough Max was the only Na'vi Jake had ever seen with a beard. His body didn't grow facial hair in that pattern. He wondered if Max had done something with the genetics of the avatar to allow that.

"Well, I am glad to hear it." Jake rubbed his hands together, "Does this mean you are now Omaticaya, or at least full Na'vi?" he looked at them hopefully, expectantly.

Those around him looked crestfallen, Max spoke first, "They won't help us Jake,"

"It's that new chieftain of theirs," Norm said brusquely, "Fucking Laz'ar'us'the'dumb'ass." Some of the others chuckled half-heartedly, "Not only will he not allow Neytiri to help us, but he threatened us with death if we go back."

Jake looked a little defeated, "Mo'at won't help either?"

Norm looked sad, "Jake," He put a large blue hand on his friends shoulder, "Mo'at is dead."

Jake's spine stiffened, "What else do you know has happened?"

Norm looked to the others, "Jake," Norm said, "I don't know how well you're gonna take this, why don't you sit down." Jake looked to his friend, but listened, "Jake…" He trailed off, not quite sure what to say in this situation. How to tell a good friend the current big guy on campus was giving his wife the old sumpin-sumpin, "He took her as a mate, Jake, she's pregnant with his kid."

Jake seemed to collapse inward. Norm didn't know for sure but he could have sworn the world just grew a little darker, like the sun itself had just winked out of existence and they were only left with the luminescent glow of the forest. But that wasn't it. This halo of darkness was pure Jake Sully. After a moment, Jake rebuilt himself and stood.

He spoke, his voice was steady, there was no uneven keel of sorrow or anger. His mind was not clouded with rage, such things did not help a soldier on the field, they only got oneself killed, "Three to a scorpion chopper, one pilot, two gunners. Weld as much metal as you can over the openings and still fly. We're going to do some hunting and then we're going to talk to this chieftain of the Omaticaya." Jake commanded coolly, none questioned him. They were forced to obey his voice by sheer will alone. They were not soldiers, but it seemed that Jake Sully had just enlisted them.

Eywa called for blood for the Hometree to return to the Omaticaya. Mother would have it, all the blood the earth could drink and then some.

Neytiri's Woe VII: Blood

****Note 1: This story takes place after Avatar the movie, if you have not seen it do not read this for there are spoilers in it and I do not want to ruin the movie for anyone.****

****Disclaimer : I do not own Avatar, nor any of James Cameron's creations. The only thing I claim is this story line idea and all ideas that can be claimed as new to this story only (aka Laz'dumei, Pinrah, the wyrm creature)****

"Breathe, Neytiri," a voice wailed at her, "You have to keep breathing!" There were two women flanking Neytiri where she sat in the forest, her legs spread why as the infant moved from within her into the forest of Pandora. It was not an easy process. She remembered surprise when her water broke, and she also recalled that anxious feeling that had swarmed her mind like insects, but the pain of child birth soon wiped that all away. All thought ceased to be as hunters and scavengers alike came to her aid. Hunters had lifted her and carried her to the standing medicine woman. She was an elderly Na'vi, skin that was a faded blue rather than the vibrant color of the youth. Wrinkles adorned the corners of her eyes, but those eyes were sharp. The grey hair made the Na'vi seem matronly and wise, but those sharp eyes glowed with the cold understanding of intellect. Others coached Neytiri along but it was this woman's words she listened to, "Fight the pain, Neytiri, you're a warrior of the Omaticaya, breathe and fight!"

Neytiri did, she fought, she breathed, and she pushed. She had never felt an agony like this. She smacked her head against the trunk of the tree behind her, but the women with her soon stopped that nonsense. Neytiri tried to pass out, tried to pass from this pain into the numbness and that world of white, but she could not. Blackness ringed her vision of the forest and the women, agony seared every thought as she felt she was being wrenched in two.

Laz'dumei approached. Neytiri saw him but was not still, she scrambled for him, the midwives held her down. Neytiri's voice was like a seething whip, "You lowly carrion! I'll slice your throat for everything you've done to me! I'll rend you limb from limb with my bare hands, I swear I'll kill you, I swear it on Eywa!" Neytiri struggled against her bonds, fighting the midwives with all her strength. They were surprised at what it took to restrain her.

The medicine woman spoke to the chieftain, "Laz'dumei, be gone from here. This may be your mate, but this is no place for you, not now." The elder Na'vi spoke reassuringly, "don't worry as to what she says, many women in the pains of child birth threaten their husbands." The medicine woman may be smart, but she missed much. Neytiri realized this as another wave of pain shot from her abdomen and crashed against her nervous system like a typhoon. Wave after wave of pain. Sweat began to bead upon her flesh. Neytiri had endured so much, when would the agony end?

Almost as she managed this thought, she had the darkness envelop her. She heard the words of the women around her, but they were muffled. It was as though they spoke through veils of cloth.

"Hold her head up, make sure she doesn't swallow her tongue!" The matronly medicine woman commanded. Neytiri was only vaguely aware of someone poking around in her mouth and seizing her tongue, "Try to wake her, but not too hard, the worst is over."

As the medicine woman said that, the sweet infant cries filled the forest. She could hear the words of the doctor, "Neytiri, if you can hear me, you have a son." Neytiri could hear the smile in her voice, that muffled foggy voice, "A healthy son!" Neytiri fought to lift her eyes, but they were so heavy now, she didn't remember being this tired ever in her life. Neytiri fought her eyes open, heaving with all that warrior strength in her heart. She was able to see her son, see him for the first time, but it was blurry.

"Hold her!" One of the midwives yelled at the other. Neytiri hit the soft dirt, but by the time of the impact she was already miles away in that blessed warm white world. She thought to herself, 'I have a son.'

-

-

Jake stood in the opening of the flying Scorpion Copter, hand on the mounted gun there. His hand was steady, his eyes fixed on his target there. A Toruk, a mother, she flew with the hatchlings that had just set to the air. She watched them with wary eyes, she was right to. Outside he was steady, he was calm, inside he was a storm of fury and sorrow. He resolved to kill that Na'vi, that Laz'dumei, but how could take a mother from these infant Toruks. They would grow to be the terrors of the sky, of every creature, but right now they were children, infants that needed their mother.

Norm's voice piqued in his ear, "It's now or never, Jake."

Jake's finger twitched as they floated among the clouds with the flock of Toruk younglings and their mother.

He lowered his gun, "I can't do it, Norm, we'll have to find another way." The Scorpion copter banked left and Jake was treated with a view of the setting sun against the Hallelujah Mountains. He watched those floating miracles, those massive stones held in the air by the strange magnetic field produced by the Tree of Souls, an extension of the strange, multidimensional body of Eywa.

"What are you going to do then?" Norm asked, piloting the ship. He wasn't trained to be flying a scorpion, but he had learned quickly out of need when the humans left for earth.

Jake sighed, "Eywa will provide." He prayed these words were true. He had spoken with the deity, but the way that being enforced balance of life seemed cruel to him, dark. Then again, balance was balance, no matter who it seemed cruel to.

Time passed, and Jake thought over his predicament. He was cast out of the Omaticaya until he could provide for them a home like Hometree had been. He felt the seed in his pocket, that little knot of roots that had been a gift from Eywa. It required blood as its water, it required a sacrifice of life to create life. A large sacrifice to create a large creation. Jake was growing tired of these Na'vi rules on justice. He had been blamed as the downfall of the Hometree, but he had tried to stop it, tried to save the Omaticaya from dying at the hands of the humans, but they had ignored him. The destruction of hometree was beyond his control and he was bearing the punishment for it.

This entire ordeal was ridiculous. They had punished him for a crime that was not his and they offered him no chance to redeem himself. The only chance they had given had been impossible in their minds. What he knew of the knowledge the Omaticaya had on Eywa, they had no idea that her entity reached far beyond this world, they had no idea what their great Mother was capable of. His punishment had been ridiculous, but he had found the solution. He decided it was time to bend the rules. Traditions be damned.

-

-

Max scratched at his curly beard on the face of the Na'vi. He didn't know what had happened with the engineering of his avatar. It had looked to be the same sequence of DNA that would make the body as Na'vi as possible, but some genetic mutation had caused the Na'vi body to begin growing a beard. He supposed he was just meant to have one.

He didn't like guns. At all. He didn't like the idea of such a destructive power in the hands of any creature, but humans had made murder into a science to be perfected. He hated that too. That was one of the reasons he had devoted himself to the world of Pandora. There were no humans toting guns around killing things off for food or for fun. And now here he sat with one of his own. Not a pistol or a rifle. A full blown machine gun. The power in his hands was thrilling, exciting even. It was that thrill that frightened him.

Jake leaned on the doorway of the canopy Max sat in, "What are you thinking, buddy?"

"I don't like this." Max said simply, "I don't like guns."

Jake smiled, "Don't lie. You like holding that much power in your hands." Jake had read him like a book. Was that all he was to this man? A book, so easily understood it was a joke to call him complex, to call him human or Na'vi. Jake strode to his friend and pat him on the shoulder, "You like it, and that you like it scares you."

"I'm not afraid!" Max protested, trying to maintain some dignity, some mystery.

"Max," Jake said soothingly, making a calming effort with his hands as if to say 'hey, calm down, its all right.' "I understand, I'm afraid holding these things too." He gestured to the side arm and the machine gun, "I fear that their power thrills me, and I hate the idea of what I am capable with them. Any good soldier knows that, knows that the power their given is too much for one man to hold. It is because they are gifted with that knowledge that they can use it properly. The great soldiers of human history have all felt that way. If you feel that way too, they would welcome you among them."

Max found himself surprisingly soothed, "Thanks, Jake."

Jake smiled, "No problem, Max,"

Dr. Norm Spellman came walking up in his avatar, loaded to the teeth with weapons, "You guys ready?"

Max smirked and looked to Jake, "Hoo-rah."

-

-

Neytiri's eyes flickered open. Her entire body ached, but she didn't care. She heard the wailing cries of an infant. She had yet to hold her own baby for the first time. She roused herself from where she lay, finding herself in the bed she and Laz'dumei, his soul be cursed forever, shared. Her feet touched the floor and she rose to a stand. Her legs were unsteady, they wobbled and swayed as she took her first unsteady steps. The uneasiness of her walk was soon banished, the agony of her aching body was soon forgotten. She stood over her little baby boy as he wailed.

Neytiri needed to see him smile.

Neytiri held the crying infant to her chest. His wails tore at her, it was the way any parent would feel upon hearing the cries of her child. At first anyway, if the smile she saw on this babies face was Laz'dumei's smirking devilish grin she swore she would beat her baby to death. In the meantime she cared for it, feeding him and rocking him softly, waiting to see that smile. She looked away towards the setting sun and wondered after her mate, her love, who had so long ago left her, promising so much.

Jake would return, one day.

"What are you thinking about, Neytiri?" She froze where she stood at the words uttered from Laz'dumei. She had been alone just moments before, how did he move so quietly?

She turned a smiling face to the chieftain who had his way with her, "I'm just thinking about how beautiful our son is."

Laz'dumei smiled and walked closer, taking the woman he owned in his arms, "Yes he is beautiful." His touch reviled her; she wanted to run screaming from his presence. She wanted to run to the nearest river and wash herself until her skin was raw and bloody. Even then she might not be clean enough and keep scrubbing away.

Neytiri looked out over the forest that her people inhabited, those foolish Omaticaya that banished the best thing that had ever happened to them. Toruk Makto was cast from them and all hell had broken loose. This is what they received for rejecting a pure spirit, for rejecting a messenger of Eywa. She heard her son giggle. Her head whipped around. Laz'dumei was tickling the boys stomach.

She saw that smile and she couldn't tell. She had been so sure that would be the final determining factor. Fear pitted in her stomach. Neytiri had been so sure.

-

-

Jake loved the nights on Pandora. They were alive with noise that flooded the ears. All one had to do was try to be quiet and they went virtually unnoticed. As long as one was careful not to touch much of their surroundings, there would be no signal of their presence in glowing plants. Fifty-four Na'vi bodies crept through the forest of alien plants as fifty-three humans piloted them from miles away. Only their leader, the one which was truly Na'vi, was at risk of losing his life. The shock of the avatar dying was risky, and possibly life threatening, but only Jake had been able to put his mind into the Na'vi body. Though, if these avatar bodies died there was a high chance that the human bodies would be soon behind them due to lack of resources.

They had found a way to grow the avatar bodies quicker, but there was a ceiling, the massive amount of chemical reactions needed to build a cloned body from scratch still took time, no matter the amount of growth hormone used.

They spoke with simple hand signs. Forward. Halt. Listen. No words parted their lips. Forward. This dense growth was nothing like what Jake had to deal with when he was in the army. There was no green on earth, as he told Eywa, it had all become grey and paved over, the planet itself becoming part of the massive machine that humans constructed. The Na'vi would become part of the forest as they scoured its lands, they were as much a part of the world around them as the rooted trees or the yowling lemurs that swung in them.

Unfortunately, he was with untrained soldiers, most of these people had not seen battle when the humans were forced from Pandora. Norm had. He had seen the battle first hand and come out living. His mind had hardened, he obtained the first signs of that stride so indicative of men who had torn through the battlefields of death and blood that Jake had since his training as both Na'vi and Marine. The only time he didn't have that stride was when he had lost his legs. But damn it he rolled with that same pride the best he could. Jake smirked. He looked to Norm on his left flank, holding a hastily created silenced pistol. It was a sloppy job and wouldn't work for long, but it would do. Jake caught his eye, both smiled and continued, the smile on Norm's face was slightly uneasy. He was afraid. Good.

As inexperienced as Norm was, Jake would've traded the rest of the humans, stumbling and bumbling creatures, babes with guns, for two more men like Norm, or even Max. The make shift avatar army did their best to scour the woods as they passed for Na'vi sentries, but encountered none. Jake's senses were in high alert. He would have said that the humans would miss the sentries much as Jake had at first, but he too found no sign of presence or movement in the shadows of the night.

The forest that the Na'vi had made their own grew close, he could see their encampment aglow with activity, but none stopped the humans advance. Jake wanted Laz'dumei's blood. He wanted Neytiri in his arms. Jake did not want to kill those he considered his family, no matter how bullheaded and dumb he thought their rituals were. They were their traditions, past down from who knows what predecessor in order to preserve the beauty of the world around them and keep tribal life balanced with the will of Eywa.

But Eywa had chosen him and his line. The offspring of Jake was the will of Eywa now.

Jake signaled the others. Spread out. Two man teams. Jake was joined by another young avatar, a young woman. She stumbled about the forest like a baby. Just as Jake had at first. Something was off, up ahead the Na'vi camp was a cacophony of sound. It was a celebration, the Na'vi were celebrating something wonderful. Jake heard their chants, like the sounds of the forest, they rose and fell by the will of the people. It was an eerily beautiful sound, Jake longed to be a part of it. Jake wanted to be amongst his family again. He ached for it, his heart felt heavy.

Stay here. Jake signaled them all, a series of whistles soft and low that mimicked the sound of the lemurs that swung through the trees. He wanted to go in alone. Take aim. Wait for my signal. He didn't want there to be unnecessary bloodshed and if he walked all the 'dreamwalkers' right into the middle of the Omaticaya camp there would be. On both sides. The Omaticaya would probably come out on top, they were battle hardened and trained to exist as one with these surroundings, but their numbers would be severely lessened.

Both were issues Jake wished to avoid.

Jake emerged from the forest and soon found himself walking among his people. They joyous, some with eyes closed, others did not notice him, Jake walked along the edge of the people, skirting their presence. They sang continuously, they beat their chests with passion and pride. Jake moved among them like a specter, caught on the rise and fall of the tribal beat. He saw Na'vi he knew, he saw young children and old men and women, he saw them all and knew in his heart of hearts he would protect them, he would die for them. This was the family he never had on earth, but had courted here on Pandora.

Among all of these people, among all these Na'vi, among all of his family sat his brother that had betrayed him, who had not accepted him and took advantage of Jake's lack of knowledge. Hometree was not restored, but if people would listen, lend him their ears, he had the solution right in his pocket. He sat in the center, Neytiri at her side. He sat with the woman Jake loved and knew with all his heart and soul. He could see her revulsion of the man that sat next to her. In her arms though was an infant child. The infant couldn't be much more than a day old from what Jake knew.

Neytiri held the little thing up on her shoulder so that he looked out over the crowd, looking back over all the people as they were caught in the passions of their chanting prayer celebration. Jake was stunned, he never thought he would see those eyes again. The color, the shape, the biology was different, but he knew the eyes in the child's head for sure. They were the eyes of Tom Sully, Jake's twin brother.

Laz'dumei reached out for the baby. Rage swelled forth from a fount thus unrealized. He had felt the rage and the anger before at hearing his Neytiri had been subject to the whims of Laz'dumei, but this was something so much more potent. He felt the fury roll off him in waves like a vengeful wind.

Jake bellowed, "Laz'dumei!" The chanting prayer faltered and stopped, "Laz'dumei!" he roared again, eyes never leaving the babes. The infant smiled to him as he was turned from Jake's sight when Neytiri and Laz'dumei turned to see the outcast man that Eywa had changed and Eywa had blessed. The rage in him caused his nerves to ignite with the fire of righteous strength, he felt each twitch of muscle a thousand fold, intensely aware of his own body.

Neytiri's eyes showed no joy, no happiness, only worry.

Laz'dumei's held anger and hate to match his own. Jake bared his teeth to the new chieftain and let the feral instincts come over. What was intended to be a hiss came out as more of a roar, deep and guttural. Laz'dumei examined Jake as if he was some sort of circus freak, something never seen before.

"Why do you come here outcast." Laz'dumei said, not flinching in the presence of Jake's altered body, not bowing to the strength of the hateful wind pouring from Jake. It was a demand phrased as a question. The words demanded obedience. Jake would give him none.

Jake roared again.

Neytiri walked up to the side of the chieftain, holding the infant Na'vi that Jake already called 'son-of-tom'. Neytiri smiled from the corner of her mouth at him. It was tiny, so little that it may not even exist at all. Like a shadow of a shadow of reality was that smile, the faintest acknowledgment of its presence would make it flitter away into nothingness. Jake's eyes roamed his beloved's figure. He could see the bruises, so much a part of her skin now, but still there for those who looked to see. Jake felt he would vomit up fire to devour Pandora.

But Neytiri spoke, "Why do you come here, outcast?" Laz'dumei looked at her angrily; the Na'vi's hand twitched, but he would do nothing. Not here, not before his people. And not while she held the infant.

Jake quieted the rumbling in his chest, it took some effort, "I come to restore to the Omaticaya the Hometree. This burden was lain at my feet unjustly, but I have carried it, despite its weight." Jake breathed, eyes leaving Neytiri and piercing at Laz'dumei, "The price asked of me has been fulfilled." Jake smirked, bowing his head.

Laz'dumei barked a laugh, it echoed into the forest, dying out into the sounds of the wilds, "You have restored Hometree, demon?" Laz'dumei walked closer to Jake and looked about him. Jake could see the people of the Omaticaya now, he had been ignoring them in his focus. They stood away from him fearfully. The Omaticaya, what had once been his family, who had cast him from their presence, now feared him. This was nothing like the reverence he felt at being Toruk Makto, their fear of him was practically palpable. Laz'dumei continued, "I see no Hometree, I see only the forest which Eywa has blessed us with in its absence."

Murmurs met this. Jake didn't like that. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the knot of roots from its little cradle of cloth. He held it aloft before him

"This is the seed of a Hometree," Jake spoke, his words cut through the murmurs like a knife through skin, and just a violently, "Eywa has granted me this, and the knowledge of how to make it grow." Laz'dumei looked skeptically at him, fearfully even. They didn't expect him to return so soon. Only a year gone and he returns with promises of a home made of a plant greater than a thousand years old from a single seed.

"Oh, is that so, demon?" Laz'dumei tried to laugh off Jake's claims, but that laugh failed miserably, it sounded hollow and weak, "And what has happened to your body, you no longer appear Na'vi, have your heretical beliefs polluted your body as well as your mind."

To this Jake did laugh. He had spent nearly a year in complete and utter union with the god of the Na'vi, in actuality, with the god of this little corner of reality, yet he was the one they claimed had a polluted mind. These people were so far gone from their goddess that they did not even recognize her blessings upon their people. Jake cracked the knuckles in his hands by flexing the muscles, the bones popped and locked into place, "Do not deter me from my goal, schxwang," Jake goaded the chieftain, "I have come to plant the seed of hometree among my people, and you shall not stop me." Jake clutched the seed, he could feel the roots writhe in his hand as he squeezed it.

Jake let it drop to the dirt at his feet. Laz'dumei watched it fall, feigning disinterest, like a parent putting up with an unruly child, but Jake saw what sat beneath his façade. Fear, fear as yellow as the glowing sun in the sky, fear that radiated out of him and fed the fury that Jake felt beating in his heart, in his core.

The seed bounced once and was still. It let off a single pulse of light, a band of it spread outwards like a wave, disappearing among the forest. That strange purple glow caught on each person, leaving a ghost of their imprint travelling behind the wave of light like an ephemeral specter. Jake was startled by what knowledge flooded his mind when that wave hit him. Or rather, he was startled by the knowledge he suddenly remembered. He knew that wave of light would call the two of each kind of the three great beasts, but the Na'vi had to sacrifice themselves.

"Laz'dumei," Jake began, his voice had an odd finality to it, like a judge issuing the punishment to a defendant, "I call you out to the trial of con'a'wan." There were no gasps at this announcement, though anyone challenging the right of a chieftain to rule would have been shocking. It was as though everyone around him had expected it. Every single Na'vi of the Omaticaya knew this was coming the moment Jake left them. They knew he would return to them to restore their home. He could feel it in the people, a trust they had in him.

"I refuse." Laz'dumei said simply.

"You can only refuse twice," Jake said. He knew this because Eywa knew this and had allowed him to keep it, "After that it starts anyways."

"But you shall not ask three times," Laz'dumei answered, "I have done well for the Omaticaya."

Jake looked around him at his family, it was true, they had prospered, but Jake knew. He knew, "I suggest you take the next challenge, Laz'dumei, else I shall reveal your gravest sin against the Omaticaya." Jake himself was shocked at the revelation. It came quick as a lightning strike, but Jake was too…what was the human phrase again…in the zone. He knew Mo'at was dead, he knew his Toruk had eaten her as if by divine revelation. He pondered for a moment if that's what it was, but he didn't care. Later it would concern him as he tried to speak to the goddess that would take his child.

"I call you to the trial of con'a'wan!" Jake shouted. Laz'dumei turned his back on them. People in the crowd roared at this. To refuse the challenge twice revealed great cowardice, to refuse it twice Jake would reveal the murderer of Mo'at.

Laz'dumei bowed his head and walked to his Tsahik where she held son-of-tom in her arms. He kissed her, fiercely. Jake could see the fire burning in his eyes and the cold contempt smoldering in Neytiri's. His voice was but a whisper, "I accept."

Laz'dumei lunged at Jake, pulling the knife from the sheath upon his chest lashing out, but Jake met him. He was surprised at Laz'dumei's strength. He gripped the arm that Laz'dumei slashed with and twisted it behind his back. Laz'dumei should have flipped onto his back and it would be over. Except Laz'dumei flipped over and landed on his feet.

This caught Jake unaware and he was forced from his own feet as Laz'dumei lunged again from his new position. The chieftain grabbed Jake by the neck and held him down, the muscles in his blue arm bulging with the strain of keeping the youthful Na'vi pinned as he struggled to get free. Fueled by instinct, Jake clawed at the arm that held him down. Laz'dumei cried out leaving streamers of blood where his arm was as ribbons of flesh were torn away by the black claws upon Jake's hands.

Jake stood and watched the chieftain nurse his arm. Carefully he moved to grab the pistol. Laz'dumei stiffened. Jake threw it aside. He did the same with the machine gun.

"You are too confident, Jake." Laz'dumei said, done nursing his arm, he ignored the dripping blood. He passed the knife from one hand to the other. Jake saw this and took note.

"You are a fool, Laz'dumei." Jake said. There was no taunt, it was just a fact. Jake lunged this time, the muscles of his legs bulged with the sudden signal to leap. He was so used to that feeling sometimes he forgot to revel in it, but now he took his joy. Jake got into close quarters with Laz'dumei.

All the while people had backed away from these two Na'vi and the humans in the avatar bodies walked forth from the forest. None cared about the orders of the old chieftain. They were mesmerized by this battle that was shear violence manifest before them.

Laz'dumei stabbed forward, the knife in his hand parting the air where Jake's head would have been had he not feinted to the right. Jake wrapped his own arm around the extended extremity and pushed up at the elbow joint with his other arm. There was a sickening crack, but Laz'dumei held the knife firmly. His arm was useless now, the bone jutting out from under the skin. Jake backed up, waiting for the next attack. Laz'dumei switched the blade to the hand of the arm that had been shredded.

Jake could see the pain in his opponent's eyes. Normally, Jake would feel pity for his victims, but not this Na'vi. Not today, nor ever, would his spirits be darkened by pity for this creature.

No one moved for a time.

Jake lunged, Laz'dumei ran.

The forest swam around Jake as he darted after his fleeing adversary. He dodged tree and shrub and stone alike, nothing would stand in his way of exacting his vengeance. He moved with the agility of a Thanotere, the strength of a Titanothere, and the grace of an Ikran. Jake watched Laz'dumei lope towards the Ikran nesting grounds that had been set up in the forest as a temporary housing.

Laz'dumei jumped into the shadows of the trees, only to emerge a second later followed by a thanotere growling ferociously. Laz'dumei ran from it as Jake advanced towards the opening in the trees. Laz'dumei backed into another section of woodlands only to come stumbling forth again forced out by a duo if Hammerhead titanotheres. Jake watched with amusement. He knew this was the resting place of his Toruk and Mo'at, their blood spilled upon the earth. This knowledge was not his, but Eywa's, gifted to him by her divine spirit.

Jake crept into the clearing, Laz'dumei looked frantically about him. A predator on every side, Jake could feel the approach of another thanotere, and further away he had the faint inkling of a mother Toruk leaving her nest.

Jake realized what Eywa was doing, she was using the bodies of these living creatures to provide Jake with the sacrifice needed to create a new Hometree.

"It ends here, Laz'dumei." Other Na'vi had chased after the fighting duo, they had followed to see the outcome of the battle of their chieftain and the outcast warrior. Jake looked around him at his people, Neytiri and son-of-tom behind him, "Your own actions have led to this end, had you kept silent none of this would have come to be. As it is I thank you."

Laz'dumei growled at Jake, "You will die here! You will die now!"

"Do not be foolish," Jake said solemnly, "You are bloodied and beaten. Even should I fall to you, my goal will be complete and the Hometree will be restored. Even in my death will you be shamed." He held his arms open as he slowly approached Laz'dumei. The Na'vi was stained with his own blood, this saddened Jake to see one of his people so misguided and distraught, but it was what had to be.

Jake neared Laz'dumei, arms still wide.

-

-

Laz'dumei watched Jake approach, those long arms of his spread wide. Jake was a fool, he left his heart wide open for attack. When Jake was within three feet of Laz'dumei, he summoned all of his strength and thrust the knife into Jake's chest.

-

-

Neytiri didn't even see what happened, it was too quick and there was so much blood. It rained down on the ground. As soon as the blood of…Jake? Laz'dumei? …spilled upon the ground the earth began to quake beneath her feet. The sky grew dark with a shadow. She looked up just in time to see a Toruk descending onto the duo. The hammerheads and the thanoteres ran into the middle as well, almost a synchronized movement, but that couldn't be.

She watched as they all collided in a thrashing mass of blood and gore. They tore at each other and fought, their red blood spilling upon the quaking ground. A blue leg landed next to her.

Wide-eyed, Neytiri shielded the infant in her arms and retreated to the cover of the trees. A talon of a Toruk landed where she had been standing and skidded to a halt at her feet. She watched with a heavy heart as all this happened, so much death, the beasts of Pandora as well as Na'vi. Did there need to be so much death for Jake to accomplish what he sought out to do? Was there no simpler way?

There had been a simpler way, to let go of Hometree, to wait and find a new seed on their own, but Laz'dumei had spoken out of hate, and look now what hate had bore. Tears streamed down the soft blue cheeks of her face, her babe began to cry and she suckled him, hushing him, trying to drown out the ungodly sound of creatures dying in a violent mess.

Neytiri felt the grounds quaking intensify and almost fell from her feet as a giant root came tearing up out of the ground. It was only the first, other roots came spinning, twisting up out of the ground to join in a mass where the bloody carcasses of the beasts and the body of the victor remained. They smashed into the bloody mess with all the force of the earth crashing together. Neytiri could never have imagined the sinking feeling in her stomach that told her the Jake she knew was dead. It was so terrible that she began to shove it out of her mind. She pushed that dark embrace away so fiercely that she nearly pushed her consciousness away as well. But she held on, she had to protect the infant in her arms.

The Omaticaya could not scream, they could not run, it was over too quick. It was complete chaos, earth fell from the sky and water shot into the air. Lightning crackled through the sky and the world seemed to have been shattered.

Then silence.

Neytiri stood in awe. Just as Jake had said, it was like Hometree, but so much more as well!

Before her stood the monument of her beloved, the headstone to his grave. A tree as large as Hometree had been, water flowing up its sides towards the top, the branches made up of illuminated leaves that glowed in the daylight brilliant white. They hung down towards the ground. The tree was almost like a giant tree of souls. The bottom was open, beneath it, protected by the thick shield of roots.

All the Omaticaya stood staring dumbly up at the tree, but Neytiri looked at the base, she walked towards it. In the center there was that same spiral structure that was so much like their old home. Someone was walking down it, but the dust was still too thick to see. She prayed it was not Laz'dumei.

The person saw Neytiri and their pace quickened towards her. Other Na'vi had followed Neytiri into the shelter of the new tree, looking at it amazed. Neytiri tried to make out the figure as it rushed towards her. Before she could get a clear view someone pulled her aside to say something. Neytiri batted them away only to turn directly into the embrace of Jake Sully.

He pressed his lips to hers gently, taking care of the infant between them, but being forceful and demanding with the kiss in a way that Neytiri had never known.

"Jake, I…" Neytiri began, "Jake…I …I don't"

Jake pressed a finger to her lips, "I see you, Neytiri." Jake said, a smirk on his lips. Jake was covered in a layer of dust, but she could see the sparkle in his golden eyes that only spoke to the abounding love he felt for her.

Neytiri managed to calm herself, "Jake, I see you." She followed the hand motions of the ancient tradition.

He turned from her, this saddened her, but he spoke to the baby in her arms.

Jake took its little hand, little golden eyes turned to Jake, "Well hello," The larger Na'vi offered the baby his goofiest smile, "It is nice to meet you, my son." Jake laughed and the baby giggled.

Neytiri was confused, "H-how can you tell? How do you know! He was born very late to be yours and…and …and what Laz'dumei did! I ca-can't eve…" Tears welled in her eyes.

Jake wiped them away, "Your time for suffering has been long, and you have endured much, my beloved, but I am here and your suffering is at an end. Not just your suffering, but the suffering of our people." He gestured to the growing crowd that murmured with amazement at Jake's presence, he had won, he had defeated their chieftain.

Neytiri quelled her tears and steadied her breath, "Jake, what do we do now? What's next?"

Jake laughed and took his son from her arms, "Now?" He said, walking towards the spiral ramp in the center, "Now we live."


End file.
